All Chapters of Off-Limits Puck: Daddy's Best Friend is my Ruin: Chapter 161 - Chapter 170

183 Chapters

Chapter 161: Face to Face

MELANIE What the hell was she doing here, and how did she even know where we lived?Evelyn stepped inside and looked straight at me. “This is your daughter, right?”“Yes,” my mother smiled at me with so much pride on her face. I still didn’t understand why she had opened the door so easily for a woman she barely knew. After all, she said it with her own mouth that she didn't know her.I watched her, my fingers clutching the edge of my dress. She sat down without waiting to be invited, and the smile she gave me felt weird.“Well, I actually came to introduce myself properly,” she said. “I just moved in next door. I can't believe you are my neighbour. What a small world.”“Wow,” my mother clapped her hands excitedly, then turned to me. “Isn’t that lovely, Mel? You were just asking about—”“Mom,” I gave her a sharp look which of course she didn't understand. She almost exposed me without knowing. My God! Why couldn’t she read a room?I forced myself to sit down. Maybe this was an oppo

Chapter 162: I Wish You Well

GAVIN I looked down at Melanie and felt the distance between us like a physical thing.I had known something was wrong the moment she got off my bed and started putting on her clothes, refusing to look at me. And she did that after staring at Evelyn’s picture. I had turned it over in my head for hours, wondering about the sudden change in her, but nothing came to mind.Seeing her on my doorstep again had brought a wave of relief that hit me so hard. But when she removed my hands from her waist, I understood she hadn’t come back for comfort.“Gavin,” she whispered. She looked almost afraid of the words she was about to say. “Your wife isn’t dead.”I just stared at her, unable to process what came out of her mouth. “What are you saying, Mel?” I shook my head, my brows furrowed in confusion. “I don't understand."“This is hard for me, okay?” She took a small step back. “I didn't know how to tell you, or whether I should in the first place…” Her voice trailed off as she looked at the gr

Chapter 163: Selfish Hearts

GAVIN The silence that followed the sound of the lock seemed heavier than everything Melanie had just said.I stood still in the center of the living room, my gaze fixed on the front door long after her footsteps faded. My hands refused to stay steady—not from anger, but from a sudden emptiness that settled in my chest.So, Mary was right. Evelyn is alive. But how?If she hadn't died in that wreck… Why hide? Why let me grieve for years? Why not come back? None of it made sense.“Fuck.”I dropped onto the couch and buried my face in my hands, rubbing hard over and over again, letting out a hollow breath. I was losing it. First Logan, now Evelyn. What the fuck was all this? It felt like the universe was determined to keep pulling the ground out from under me.I remembered the look on Melanie’s face before she left. God, I was extremely stupid and insensitive. She was right. Damn it, she was right. My reaction had been that of a man waiting for his dead wife to come back in front of

Chapter 164: Dalton's Target

GAVIN We got to the office, and everywhere was busy as always. A junior officer intercepted me the moment I stepped onto my floor. “Agent Thorne, you have a visitor. She said she has urgent information on the case you are working on.”Joe and I looked at each other first, then I nodded. “Bring her to my office.”We got to my office and settled in as I grabbed Evelyn’s case again, trying to go over everything I had learned and the new information I got from Melanie as my thumb tapped restlessly against the edge of the desk when a knock sounded on the door.“Yes, come in,” I said, still concentrating on the file.The sound of Joe’s sharp, surprised gasp made my head snap up. “What is—”The words died in my throat.Standing in the doorway, escorted by a junior officer, was Cassandra.I rose slowly from my chair, the legs scraping lightly against the floor. “Cass… Cassandra?”She walked in, but my brows furrowed when I looked closely at her. She didn't look like the polished woman I kne

Chapter 165: The Enemy Of My Enemy

GAVIN“Please, you have to help me, Gavin. I don’t want to die.”I kept staring at her, trying to read every shift in her emotions. Whatever had happened between her and Dalton had clearly pushed her past the point of lies. Still, I didn’t trust a single word out of her mouth yet. I leaned my back on the chair and held her gaze. “Tell me, Cassandra, what’s actually going on between you and Dalton?” I lifted my lips into a sneer. “You do know someone can't just wake up and plan to kill you.”“Exactly,” Joe agreed. It was the first time he’d spoken since she walked in.Cassandra bit her lip hard until it nearly bled, acting like the weight of what she was about to say was too heavy.“If you’re not ready to talk,” I said, looking away as if I’d already lost interest, “you know where the door is.”“Gavin.” She gripped the edge of the table. “I’ll talk. okay? I’m ready.”“Then start.”“Just… please understand I was forced into most of it.”“I'm listening.”“When you broke up with me—”“Ca

Chapter 166: Choosing to Walk Away

MELANIE I had no idea how I managed to keep the car on the road. My head was hurting. My heart felt like it was being squeezed from inside my chest. I felt so stupid. Gavin had used me; it was painfully obvious now. I had just been a temporary placeholder, keeping his bed warm until his dead wife decided to come back to life.The same wife who hadn’t loved him enough to show herself for five years. The same woman who had let him grieve and suffer while she watched from the shadows.God, I hated love. I hated it so much.I found myself outside Derek’s apartment, staring through the windshield and biting the inside of my cheek hard enough to taste blood. There was no point waiting on someone that didn't love me enough to choose me first. Derek had always been there for me, and it was obvious he loved me. So this time around, I was going to choose him back, and I wasn’t going to change my mind.I pulled a tissue from my bag, wiped what was left of the tears, and blew my nose. The mirro

Chapter 167: Point of No Return

GAVIN “Are you sure this will work?” Cassandra asked. She sat on the edge of the couch in my living room, with one of her legs bouncing nervously on the floor. Her fingers kept twisting the edge of her cardigan.We had driven straight here from the office. The plan was simple: she would plant the camera in my bedroom so Dalton would believe she was still loyal to him. Once he trusted her again, we could use that access against him.Cassandra had already gone into the bedroom alone, the way she would have done it if she were sneaking in under his orders. The tiny camera was now fixed near the light fixture, which had a perfect view of my bedroom.Now the three of us sat in the living room going over every detail one last time.“All you have to do is be your normal self,” I said to her. “Do exactly what he says, don't provoke him or ask extra questions. Make him believe you’re still on his side. Can you handle that?”She hesitated, frowning slightly. “I can try. But he’s not stupid, Ga

Chapter 168: The Uninvited Guest

MELANIE“Melanie, you have a visitor.” My mother’s voice floated in from the living room while I lay stretched across the bed, staring at the ceiling.“Urgh,” I groaned, annoyed at whoever it was. I was freaking busy. Yes, I was busy being depressed, replaying every stupid decision that had landed me where I was. I sat up slowly, rubbed my eyes, and yawned, stretching my hands above my head before getting to my feet and pulling my hair into a messy bun. I looked into the mirror to smooth out the T-shirt that had wrinkled from lying on it for several hours before dragging myself to the living room.The second I saw who was sitting across from my mother, my stomach dropped. I had completely forgotten about my promise to him.“Mel, baby, you didn’t tell me you had such handsome friends.” My mother smiled widely.I rolled my eyes and turned to Reynold. “Rey, why didn’t you remind me?” I grumbled. I had lost track of time because of the numerous disasters life had thrown at me over the p

Chapter 169: Which Lie Are You Sorry For?

MELANIEI stared at him like he had gone psycho. He gripped the handle of the door, preparing to bolt if I got physical, which I was already contemplating.“Are you fucking crazy?” I attacked him. “You lured me here? On purpose?”I snapped my head toward the stream of well-dressed guests heading into the hall, half-expecting to spot my father among them.“Take me back,” I insisted, resting against the seat. “Right now.”“Mel, come on. He just wants to see you and apologize—”“Did you suddenly go deaf too?” I hit the dashboard with my fist. “I said take me home.”“Melanie, you need to calm down, okay?” His hands tightened on the steering wheel. “Didn’t you promise to help me get back in my parents’ good graces?”I suddenly remembered my promise but shook my head aggressively. “We can do that another day. Definitely not now.” I folded my hands stubbornly and stared straight ahead, waiting for him to start the engine.“Well, this is you helping me,” he said softly after a long pause. “Y

Chapter 170: An Unforgiven Apology

MELANIEMy voice had risen. I forced it back down, holding myself in check so I wouldn’t start shouting where people might overhear.Dalton’s face tightened; he looked older under the outdoor lights.“I’m sorry for all of it,” he said quietly. “But especially for what I did to your mother. I was wrong, completely wrong.”I stared at him, waiting for the excuses I was used to hearing.“I told myself I was protecting you,” he continued. “That the drugs and the instability made her dangerous. That locking her away was the only way to keep you safe and keep my life from falling apart. But the truth is I was selfish. I chose my career and my image over her. Over both of you.”He exhaled hard and looked away for a second before meeting my eyes again.She didn’t deserve what I did to her,” he said, his voice breaking. Eleven years in that place… I can’t undo it. I know that. But I am sorry, Melanie. For taking your mother from you. For making you believe she didn’t want you. For every year y

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