Chapter 351: Marry
"I want to go back to my parents."
Cadence froze, his fork halfway to his mouth. The casual tone in which she’d said it didn’t fool him. Slowly, he set the fork down on the plate and turned his gaze toward her.
"No," he said simply.
"Why not?" Melanie pressed, keeping her voice as steady as she could even as her hands clenched under the table. "All I’m asking is that you let me go back to them. I don’t want to be imprisoned here. Even if it’s just for a short visit... even if you let me go back and see them just once- You cannot seriously be jealous of my parents."
"They’ll keep you away from me and..." His tone hadn’t changed, but there was something darker beneath it. As if he already knew this for sure. She could already hear the finality in his voice before he even finished the sentence. "I cannot. I will not let you go this time, Melody. Last time letting you go was enough. I agreed, then, didn’t I? But not this time!"
Melanie clenched her fists in frustration, her nails digging into her palms. Dr. Jung- that bastard had planned out every damn thing once she was off the island, but the fool had not thought about what to do with this biggest obstacle. He hadn’t told her how to convince this man. How to get through to him.
"Why would they keep me away?" she asked, forcing herself to keep calm. "They want me to be happy and..."
"You’re the one who said it," Cadence replied and shrugged like it was obvious. "You told me your parents are old-fashioned. You said they wouldn’t understand, that they’d pull you away from me. No, no, no... I can’t risk that, Melody. I won’t let you go away.""
Melanie frowned slightly. Why would Melody have told him something like that? Why plant that fear in someone already obsessed with her? Still, she couldn’t afford to dwell on that now. She needed to think, and quickly.
She forced a small smile and tried again. "That’s because we’re not married," she said gently. "They wouldn’t approve of anything less. But that doesn’t mean they’d disapprove of you. I just... I don’t want to marry without their blessings. I want to go back and tell them about you."