Page 37 of Curvy Quirky Omega

Melinda’s face turned white as a sheet and I made a note on my sketchpad. Either she knew and didn’t think anyone would ever find out, or she’d been completely kept in the dark.

“Why would he need to launder money?” Her whispered words were tremulous and I made another note before going back to my sketch.

“I wouldn’t know.” Frankie shrugged and crossed one leg over the knee. “But I do plan to ask my future father-in-law about it.”

Melinda’s face suddenly turned green.

Amazing what a little namedropping can do.

“There’s just one thing I don’t understand,” Frankie mused as she studied Melinda’s room. “Why would Gideon refuse to divorce you despite his alpha’s order, and then threaten to leave you? What changed?”

“Who knows?” Melinda reached for the glass of water on her nightstand and her hand was shaking so badly water spilled over the side. “Gideon never told me anything. We had our routine and, otherwise, stayed out of each other’s business. Then he became even more distant after that nasty argument with his mother, but I have no idea why. Maybe he pitied me.”

“Then why did you stay?” Frankie watched Melinda sip the water with a neutral expression on her face. “It’s not like you needed the money or status. You already have your own.”

Melinda was quiet for a long time, and I concentrated on the shadows under her eyes. The way she stared into the glass of water made me think she would never answer, but then she took a deep breath and looked up at Frankie.

I was impressed with the way she could hold her gaze and still look so submissive.

“I stayed because it would benefit me if he were to leave first,” Melinda explained. “They would all pity me then, even if I was defective. But if I left him, I’d be worthless as well as defective. Why else wouldn’t he be able to breed me after ten years of trying?”

My hand paused and I tried not to sympathize with her, but I understood where she was coming from.

“If Gideon ran away, the focus would shift to him.” Melinda settled her hand on her stomach and despite everything, she seemed happy to be pregnant. “When I told him I was pregnant, he looked devastated and I took that as my cue to leave, but…”

“But you didn’t know whose baby it was,” Frankie finished for her.

Melinda sighed and looked away. “Once I knew for sure, I was going to leave him, but you have to wait until the second trimester to do genetic testing without hurting the fetus.”

“There’s no evidence you visited a lawyer,” Frankie argued. “How am I supposed to believe you didn’t have Gideon killed to get him out of the picture?”

“I had to wait for the test results before I could see a lawyer,” Melinda snapped, glaring at Frankie just like she had me. “Our prenup is too detailed for me to simply divorce him without knowing anything for sure. Even this far along, I could still lose the baby, but…I’ll know who it belongs to soon.”

So, she didn’t know yet.

I suppose that made sense since she didn’t have access to the same information I did. Then Nicolette had locked her up in this house to keep an eye on her. Liam said she didn’t even have access to her phone anymore.

“All right, let me make sure I fully understand the situation,” Frankie murmured as she started slowly pulling her pheromones back in. “You told Dane you were pregnant first because he was taking care of you whenever Gideon wasn’t around. Then you told your husband a few weeks later…for some unknown reason. I know he wasn’t physically abusing you, so your motive is still a bit unclear there.”

Melinda took another sip of water before putting it down, looking a little less green, but she didn’t offer any clarification.

“At some point, you realized Gideon wasn’t going to leave you and that’s when you decided to leave him.” Frankie held up her hand when it looked like Melinda was about to argue with her. “Maybe you never knew he changed his mind about that, but regardless, you decided you were done with him since you were finally pregnant with a child of Valor.”

I started a second sketch depicting Melinda’s calm expression. It was so delicate and regal…other than the fury burning in her eyes.

“So, you thought it would be best to wait to divorce him once you knew which Valor bred you since it wouldn’t change the outcome of your settlement, but it would change your living situation.” Frankie turned her hand to study her bright red fingernails like none of this was even the slightest bit interesting. “Would you have left Gideon for Dane even if that child wasn’t his cousin’s?”

“I don’t believe that’s any of your business,” Melinda declared primly. She set her glass of water back on the nightstand and elegantly folded her hands on her lap.

“No, but it is Dane’s.” Frankie smirked and then stood, tucking her hands in her motorcycle jacket. “That alpha has spent the last five months believing that child is his. If it’s Gideon’s…do you think he’ll want an omega who tricked him into betraying his own cousin?”

The situation was far more complicated than that, but Melinda had no idea what Dane had already told us, or what the doctors have determined in regard to her baby.

I almost felt bad for her.

Clearing my throat as I stood, I tucked my sketchpad and pencil back in my messenger bag. Melinda glared at me, and I was thankful to see it didn’t seem like she’d forgotten I was there. She may not be smart enough to pull something like this off, but she knew the realities of her situation better than most.

“It was a decent plan,” I told her as I pushed my glasses back up my nose. “Others might see an affair as risky, but they’ll never understand what it’s like to be considered defective. It was better to make sure you were pregnant before publicly ending a relationship with a legacy alpha. Even if it doesn’t work out with Dane, no one can call you defective anymore.”

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