Chapter 20
As she wandered, her attention was drawn to a young boy, maybe four or five, playing by the outdoor pool.
The kid was plucking leaves from a nearby bush, tossing them into the water, then fishing them back out with a small net. Over and over, he repeated this little game, completely absorbed in his fun.
Melissa frowned, glancing around. No parents in sight. The scene made her uneasy. She stepped closer and called out, “Hey, buddy! Don’t play so close to the water-it’s dangerous.”
The boy turned to look at her, his expression defiant. Then, as if to challenge her, he stuck out his tongue and tossed another handful of leaves into the pool, farther this time.
Determined to fish them out, he crouched low, leaning precariously over the pool’s edge. His small arms stretched the net as far as it could go, his body practically hanging over the water.
Melissa’s heart leapt. She took a step forward, her voice sharp. “Hey! Stop that! You’re going to-”
Splash. The sound of water erupted, cutting her off mid-sentence. The boy had fallen in.
Her stomach dropped. Without hesitation, Melissa sprinted to the pool and dove in after him. The boy flailed wildly, panicking and splashing water everywhere.
Grabbing him firmly, she tried to keep him steady, but the kid was completely out of control, his arms swinging in a frenzy. He smacked her hard across the face-twice. The sharp stings brought tears to her eyes, but she held on, determined to get
him out.
“Ned! Ned!” A man’s frantic voice echoed in the distance, growing louder.
Melissa, gritting her teeth against the pain, managed to push the boy toward the edge of the pool. She hoisted him up, then dragged herself out, soaked and breathless.
The man ran over, scooping the boy into his arms. His voice was loud and scolding. “What were you doing near the water?! How many times have I told you not to run off? You could’ve drowned!”
Still sitting on the ground, drenched and exhausted, Melissa glared up at the man. The water hadn’t been deep, but the incident had shaken her.
‘If I hadn’t been there, the kid could’ve drowned, and this guy has the audacity to start scolding?’ she thought.
Her thoughts drifted to Curtis. ‘What if something like this happened to him? What if I wasn’t there to save him?’ The thought made her stomach churn. ‘Could Bradley really be trusted to keep an eye on him?’ A cold shiver ran down her spine at the idea.
She reached into her bag, hoping to check her phone, only to find it completely ruined-soaked and unresponsive. Panic gripped her. ‘Great. How the hell am I supposed to take Curtis’s calls now?’
She stood abruptly, ready to leave and figure out her next steps, but the man grabbed her arm. “Wait!” he said.
Melissa, still rattled and distracted by her broken phone, wasn’t in the mood to deal with him. “No need to thank me. Just don’t let your kid out of your sight next time-”
Before she could finish, his tone turned cold and accusatory. “Why did you push my son into the pool?”
Melissa froze, staring at him in disbelief. “I’m sorry, what? Push him? Are you serious right now?”
The boy, still hiccuping from his tears, clung to his father and added fuel to the fire. “Daddy, it was her! She pushed me in!”
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Chapter 20
Melissa’s jaw dropped. She looked from the boy to the man, both glaring at her with self-righteous certainty. The sheer absurdity of the accusation left her speechless for a moment.
“You’ve got to be kidding me,” she finally said, her voice sharp with disbelief. “I saved him! He fell in on his own!
The man’s glare didn’t waver. Instead, his voice rose. “My son’s been playing here for weeks and has never fallen in before, What did you do?”
Melissa’s patience snapped. The sheer stupidity of his argument made her want to march back to the pool and toss the kid right back in.
Her voice grew louder. “I told you-he was leaning too far and fell in. I jumped in to save him. You’re welcome, by the way!”
The man scoffed, his tone dripping with sarcasm. “If you didn’t push him, why were you even in the water?”
Melissa’s face turned red with fury. “Because I saw him fall, and 1-”
He cut her off with a smug sneer. “Lying now? Can’t come up with a better excuse?”
Their argument was loud enough to draw a crowd. Several people stopped to watch, whispering among themselves. Soon, a property manager arrived, their expression tense as they approached.
Finally, Melissa thought. Someone who could help clear up this nonsense. But instead of addressing the situation, the property manager frowned at her and asked, “Ma’am, I don’t believe you’re one of our residents. I’ve never seen you here before. May I ask who you are?”
