Chapter 140 Searching Her Purse
ISABEL'S POV
“No, don’t tell me that,” I said, shaking my head slightly as I looked at Melissa. “I of all people know that life hasn’t been kind to you since Anna got back at you and James and everything went downhill. So don’t sit there and pretend everything is fine. Besides, you said you were going to give me the gist when you came back, and I have a feeling that gist has something to do with your new glow.”
I picked up a piece of bread, tearing it apart before dipping it into the eggs on my plate. I chewed slowly, watching her closely. Melissa had always been good at dodging questions, but today she looked different — lighter, brighter, like someone who had finally found something she didn’t know she was missing.
She opened her mouth to respond, but before she could say anything, James’ voice cut through the room.
“You’re finally back,” he said from behind us. “Why did your mom want to see you so early in the morning?”
He walked into the living room with stiff steps, his presence immediately shifting the atmosphere. I didn’t have to turn around to know Melissa felt it too. The warmth that had filled the room seconds ago vanished almost instantly.
Melissa slowly turned her head to look at him, irritation flashing across her face without any attempt to hide it.
“That’s for me to know, James,” she replied flatly. “I don’t have to tell you everything I discuss with my mother.”
James froze for a moment. I watched his jaw tighten, his hands clenching slightly at his sides as if he was forcing himself to stay calm. It looked like he was holding something back — anger, frustration
Then, without another word, he suddenly reached for Melissa’s purse.
My eyes widened in shock.
Before I could process what was happening, he had already grabbed it and started rummaging through it, pushing aside items with rough, impatient movements.
“What are you doing?” I almost blurted out, but the words died in my throat.
Why was he searching her purse? Did he think she was hiding something in there?
I turned to Melissa, giving her a confused look, silently asking what was going on. She didn’t look surprised at all. Instead, she rolled her eyes and waved a dismissive hand in his direction like this was something she had already seen before.
“When you’re done searching for something that isn’t there,” she said calmly, “drop my purse with everything in it.”
Her tone was cool, controlled, and almost bored.
I stayed quiet. No matter how uncomfortable this was, I was still a guest in their home. The last thing I wanted was to get dragged into whatever storm was brewing between them. I reached for my glass of juice, lifting it to my lips and taking a slow sip, pretending I wasn’t paying attention even though every movement was impossible to ignore.
James searched for another few seconds, his movements growing more aggressive, until finally he stopped. With an angry grunt, he dropped the purse onto the couch, clearly disappointed he hadn’t found whatever he was looking for.
The sound echoed loudly in the room.
Then he moved.
He walked around the couch and leaned down toward Melissa, positioning his mouth close to her ear. His voice didn’t lower. If anything, it grew sharper.
“I’m on to you,” he said coldly. “Something is going on. You think you’re smart, that you can hide things from me, but I’m going to figure it out. And when I do, you’re going to wish you never hid it from me in the first place.”
The words sent a strange chill through the room.
Without waiting for a response, he straightened up and headed for the front door. Seconds later, it slammed shut behind him.
The silence that followed felt heavy at first, then oddly relieving. It was like all the tension had been dragged out with him.
I exhaled slowly.
“Wow,” I said after a moment. “You two are drifting apart even worse than I thought.”
Melissa leaned back against the couch, crossing her arms.
“I honestly don’t care anymore,” she said. “He’s pushed me to that point.”
I nodded, choosing my next words carefully.
“I’m not even going to bother asking what all that was about,” I said. “I know you don’t want to explain either.”
She shrugged.
“It’s fine,” she said. “The last time I went to see my mom, she gave me cash. He took everything. So when I told him this morning that I was going to see her again, he probably thought she gave me money this time too. That’s why he was searching my purse. He thinks I’d be stupid enough to let that happen twice.”
I frowned slightly.
“I hope being here won’t make things even weirder,” I said honestly. “He said I was welcome to stay as long as I wanted when I arrived, and you said the same thing. I don’t have the strength to be a therapist or problem solver between you two.”
Melissa waved it off.
“Relax, that won’t happen,” she said. “Though you’ll need to get used to the arguments. He actually seems to enjoy them.”
I shook my head lightly, then leaned forward.
“Well,” I said, lowering my voice a bit, “now that he’s not here… who did you really go to see?”
She hesitated for only a second.
“His name is Eric King,” she said. “He was one of the investors in Greenleaf Med before James got fired. Eric had always been interested in me. Now that James can’t take care of me anymore, I’ve decided to focus on Eric as my meal ticket.”
I hadn’t expected that.
“Wow,” I said slowly. “I’m honestly speechless. If I tell you I’m not shocked, I’d be lying.”
Melissa let out a small laugh.
“I know,” she said. “You always thought I was the loyal, good-girl type.”
“I really did,” I admitted.
“Well,” she continued, “you were always telling me to try something new. Something better. I finally took your advice, and it’s working out perfectly. You should see how much this guy is willing to spend just to be with me.”
She said it casually, like she was talking about buying groceries
I studied her face — the confidence, the ease in her posture, the glow I had noticed earlier.
“I guess I underestimated you,” I said quietly.
She smiled.
“People underestimate me all the time,” she replied.
I leaned back in my seat, taking another sip of juice, my mind trying to catch up with everything she had just revealed. Melissa wasn’t the same woman she used to be, and neither was I.
Maybe that was the strangest part of all.
We were both changing, just in very different ways.