Page 37 of Overdosed: Her Dark Side
“What if I don’t agree to it?” I asked.
Anders’ response was a soft yet vicious smile. “Then you might as well sit and wait for Shane to show up at your door soon. But if I were you, I wouldn’t want to face him alone after these three years, during which his power and anger have only grown.”
A shiver passed down my back. I reluctantly accepted the documents, knowing the decision I was about to make might have irrevocable consequences, but did I have any other choice?
“What did the contract say?” Shane asked, his teeth clenched.
“It outlines the terms of our agreement. I’m obligated to marry Anders, or I’ll have to pay him ten times the amount we agreed upon as compensation. A hundred million dollars.”
“I’ll find a way to get that damn contract annulled. And if I can’t, I’ll pay him the money. You won’t have to worry about it.” He walked toward the window, running his hand through his unruly hair. He let out a heaved breath as if trying to release the tension radiating from him.
“No, Shane. It’s my mess to deal with. I got myself into this and I should face the consequences.”
Shane’s hands washed over his face before he turned to me. “You got yourself into this mess because of my brother and the issues he has with me. So, it’s my mess. Let me handle it.”
I slowly approached him, my brows knitting. “I’m sorry,” I whispered.
“Don’t be.” His husky voice rang in my ears. “The only thing I’m mad about is how little trust you put in me.”
“I’m so sorry, Shane,” I whispered through the pain building up within me.
“Even after you came back.” His head tilted, and his eyes filled with regret. “Didn’t you notice that I didn’t even ask about our child or the pregnancy? Did you not see that I had no idea?”
I felt a ping of regret rushing through me. “I thought it was a game. I believed you were pretending to continue your revenge, getting closer to taking Hope away from me. Anders warned me you’d try these tricks.”
“Fuck,” Shane hissed. “Of course, he said so because he knew I still had feelings for you. He knew I still loved you, Melanie.”
I felt my heart breaking in two at the thought of how I let myself be manipulated. “And why did he know about Hope, and you didn’t?” I asked.
“From Callan,” Shane stated without hesitation.
Once again, my heart broke. Once again, I trusted the wrong person.
“That day, three years ago, when Callan came to see me, he didn’t mention the pregnancy. He told me you overdosed on sleeping pills. You can imagine how I reacted to that news. I went crazy. I was lost in despair. Callan did it to cloud my mind, to buy more time to come back to you with all these lies about my revenge and to run away with you. And while I was losing my mind, searching for you like a fool, Anders offered Callan his help. And together, they started plotting behind my back right from the beginning,” Shane said, his voice, though fueled by rage, cracking. “Anders didn’t find you. He knew all along where you were. He played it like this, so you’d believe he found you. To scare and manipulate you.”
Tears welled up in my eyes. “How do you know?”
“From him. That bastard.”
“So did you catch him?”
“Yes.” Shane nodded solemnly. “He had no choice but to tell me everything. Though, he still lied to me that you miscarried.” His muscles tensed.
“Where is he now?”
Shane’s gaze remained steady as he answered, “He’s dead.”
FIFTEEN
Shane
Ilooked at Melanie, her face turned pallid. Her luminous eyes widened in shock, searching my face for any sign that what I’d just said was just a twisted joke. It wasn’t. I killed this piece of shit with cold blood, and I’d do it again. And again. And I’d do it much sooner. Before he managed to ruin my life.
“Did you... kill him?” Melanie’s voice trembled as the words barely escaped her parted lips.
“Yes, and I’d do it again.” My response was void of emotion. “What’s more? I’d kill Anders, too. If he weren’t my brother, I swear he’d be dead by now because of everything he’s done.”
A single tear traced its way down her cheek. “Do you even hear yourself, Shane?” she whispered. “That’s why I feared you could’ve hurt me or Hope. Because you handle everything like this. With violence. You get rid of people who are inconvenient for you.”
