Betrayed By Husband, Stolen By Brother In Law

Chapter 317: Hospitalized

"Where is Melanie Collins?"

The nurse looked up, startled by the sharp, authoritative voice that cut through the quiet hum of the reception area. Her fingers hovered mid-air over the keyboard as she blinked at the man in front of her, clearly taken aback by his intensity. After a brief pause, she turned to her screen, typed something quickly, and replied, "She’s in the emergency ward. Just go straight ahead and take the first left." \(n)ovel(.)co(m)

Adam didn’t wait for another word. His heart was pounding, his mind a storm of fear and confusion. Almost out of his mind with worry, he broke into a run, his footsteps echoing against the sterile hospital floors as he tore down the hallway. But just as he reached the bend leading to the emergency ward, he skidded to a stop.

Standing ahead were the Thomases, their faces grim and pale. Beside them stood two uniformed police officers, their expressions unreadable, their postures tense. The group turned toward him in eerie unison, as if they had been waiting.

Adam’s breath caught in his throat, but he didn’t bother to catch it. His voice came out rough, laced with dread as he forced the words out, "What happened?"

The taller of the two officers stepped forward, his badge clipped neatly to his chest. He glanced at the tablet in his hand before looking up at Adam.

"Are you Adam Collins? The victim’s husband?"

Adam’s mouth was dry, his mind barely able to process the words, as he nodded stiffly and bot out a,"Yes." All the while the word victim seemed to be echoing in his head as he tried to focus on what the officer had to say.

The officer gave him a curt nod in return, then said, "Your wife is currently in surgery. She sustained multiple lacerations along her right arm and some internal trauma. From what the medical team says, it appears she was thrown off a moving vehicle. And then she walked all the way here to the hospital. They’re doing what they can. She should be out soon, but we’ll need to speak with her first before you’re allowed to talk to her.

Adam’s hands clenched into fists at his sides, but he said nothing. He wanted to argue, to tell them that he didn’t give a damn about their procedures—that she was his wife and he had every right to see her—but he knew how this worked. Standard procedure. No interference until they were sure she was stable and the scene had been officially documented.

He gave another nod. "Understood."

"Do you know anyone who might want to harm your wife or her sister?," the officer questioned. free.webno(v)e\l.(c)om

Adam took a deep breath, his jaw tightening as he shook his head, "Not that I know of." What he didn’t mention was the long list of them who were either not alive anymore or already behind bars.

"That may be so. But someone clearly did want to hurt one of them—or both. There was no randomness in what happened."

Adam frowned, his heart thudding harder. "What do you mean?"

The officer sighed and continued, "Witness accounts and traffic camera footage confirm that the car that caused the sudden brake had been following them for at least six kilometers before the incident. They were being hunted. The car ahead and the one behind, both knew what was going on.

"Exactly. The airbag deployment disorients most people. It’s the perfect moment to strike—especially if you’re targeting someone who won’t go down without a fight. And we’ve got more."

Adam turned sharply to face him.

"Several bystanders on the highway stopped afterward. A few managed to catch glimpses of the men who dragged the women out. There were three—faces covered. But what stood out most is what one of them shouted."

"What did they say?" noveldrama

The detective looked grim. "One of them was heard yelling that there was a ’problem’-and then something about ’same face.’ Multiple witnesses reported hearing a variation of that phrase. ’It’s the same face,’ ’They look the same,’ ’Which one is it’-we’re still verifying the exact wording. But the implication is clear."

"They weren’t sure who they were after," Adam said slowly, the weight of it sinking in. "Melanie or Melody."

"Exactly. The current theory is that they only needed one of them-but they didn’t know which one until they got closer. Something must have spooked them or maybe they confirmed the identity of the one they wanted and then left Melanie behind but took the other one. Melody."

Adam took a step back, as if the ground under his feet had shifted. He leaned against the nearest wall, trying to make sense of it all. "Do you think it was meant for Melanie? That she was the original target?"

The detective hesitated, then said, "We don’t know yet. It could be that they wanted her and took Melody by mistake. Or it could be the opposite-they wanted Melody and tried to neutralise Melanie when she got in the way. Either way, the resemblance caused confusion. That’s clear. Whoever planned this didn’t expect both women to be together-or look so alike. Or probably they didn’t even know that they were two of them.

Thinking back to the traces of tranquilizer found on Melanie’s clothes and tampering in her office’s elevator, Adam had a feeling that their original target had indeed probably been his wife. But then, how did Melanie escape those people while Melody was caught and taken away.

But, he did not add any comments or questions and simply asked," Did you find the car in which they tried to kidnap her?"

The officer shook his head, "Not yet. But we are already looking for it. We’ve already sent out teams to Miss Melody’s house and to your wife’s office, to look for any clues and interview any arguments they might have gotten into."

Adam nodded and was about to ask more when the doctor stepped out of the emergency room. Ignoring the man, Adamw alked straight to the doctor.