Chapter 108

The next morning, I reluctantly woke up and got ready in preparation for my appointment visit with Kelly. As I got dressed, there was a pit that slowly grew inside of my stomach, filling me with dread.

“I don’t like her,” Mina said. She had been surly with me since I made the decision to meet with Kelly. “I’m getting bad energy from this. I really don’t think you should go.”

“It’ll be fine,” I replied out loud with a sigh as I put on my makeup, not realizing once again that someone might overhear me and think that I was talking to myself. “It’s just a doctor’s visit.”

“It could be more than that,” Mina insisted. “It could be a trap.”

I fixed my hair then, pulling it back into a half bun, and shook my head. “It will be fine. She won’t do anything. Besides, if anything starts to get weird, I’ll just go home by myself.”

Mina fell silent. I knew that she was furious with me, but I couldn’t just live my life assuming that everyone was out to get me. This wasn’t just about me; it was about Edrick, Ella, and the baby, too. I needed to try my best to be diplomatic, because that would be the only thing that would potentially make Michael hate me a little less. Maybe, once it eventually came out that I was a werewolf, the fact that I had also been kind might sweeten the deal even more. That way, I wouldn’t need to worry about Michael trying to get me removed from Edrick’s home again. Over these past few months, the penthouse had become my home, too. I didn’t want to raise my baby in a home without its father, either.

Once I was finished, I took a step back to check my outfit. Kelly was always a bit degrading when it came to my body, so for that reason I felt compelled to put a bit more effort into how I looked today. I knew that it was childish of me to be worried about how she thought of me, but I couldn’t help it.

Satisfied with my appearance, I headed out of my bedroom to eat breakfast. Selina had promised to take care of Ella until I returned, and when I entered the dining room, there was already a plate set out for me. Selina, who was pouring a cup of coffee for me as I approached, offered me a weak smile.

“Are you sure about this?” she asked quietly, finishing up with pouring my coffee and handing me the pitcher of creamer and the dish of sugar. “I can go with you instead, if you’re not sure. Amy and Lily can watch Ella.”

I shook my head. “It’s fine,” I lied, although I really wasn’t so sure at this point if it would be fine. “It’s just a doctor’s appointment.”

Selina seemed a bit dissatisfied with my response, but didn’t bring it up again.

I slowly ate my breakfast; a bit too slowly, in fact, because the elevator doors slid open and Kelly stepped into the foyer before I was even finished.

“Hello?” Kelly called. I could hear the sound of her heels clicking on the wooden parquet floors, and I quickly put down my fork and wiped my mouth, swallowing my half-chewed eggs and toast.

“In here,” I responded, standing.

Kelly’s head poked through the door. Much to my surprise, there was a warm, apologetic smile on her face without a hint of sarcasm or malice. She didn’t say a word; she scurried up to me and surprised me once again: she hugged me, and as she hugged me, she whispered into my ear:

“I am so sorry for the way I’ve treated you. And I’m sorry that I slapped you the other night. I promise I’ll make it up to you.”

I didn’t know what to say, but before I could even speak, Kelly pulled away and spoke again.

“I’m so glad you decided to do this with me,” she said as she pulled away. “We’re going to have a lot of fun today. I picked out this really cute lunch spot, and then I figured we can even do a little shopping afterwards, if you’re feeling up to it.”

“U-Um—” I stuttered, throwing a glance at Selina, who only shrugged at me over Kelly’s shoulder. “Sure, Kelly. That does sound fun.”

Kelly’s smile widened even more. “Great!” she said, then glanced at my half-eaten breakfast. “Oh! If you’re still having breakfast, I’ll wait.”

“No, it’s okay,” I said. I grabbed my purse off of the hook along with my sun hat and turned back to face Kelly, trying my best to act polite even though I was absolutely astonished by her sudden and dramatic change in demeanor toward me. This didn’t even feel like the same woman who slapped me in the Morgan mansion’s garden the other night.

“Okay, then,” Kelly said, pushing the button on the elevator. “Let’s go.”

Suddenly, a tiny voice called out.

“Wait! Moana!” Ella called. She appeared in the doorway, out of breath, and was fully dressed with her shoes on. “Can I go? Please?”

“Honey, this is more of an adult thing,” Kelly began, but her voice faltered as Ella shot her an angry, stony glare.

Just then, Selina appeared in the doorway. “Come along, Ella. You’ll make Moana late for her appointment.” Selina tried to pull Ella away, but the little girl wasn’t having it and folded her arms, pushing her lower lip out in a pout.

“Moana, please let me go with you!” she said. “Please! I need to go!”

Both Kelly and Selina went silent and looked at me. I was a bit taken aback by Ella’s sudden insistence on going when she had been perfectly fine with it before. Why was she acting so serious about it now? It didn’t even seem as though she wanted to go because she would be missing out on some fun, either; she genuinely seemed distressed at the idea of not going with me, and as I looked at her, I could see tears welling up in her eyes.

“Ella, why don’t you stay home?” Kelly asked, crouching down to Ella’s level. “Moana will be back soon. I promise.”

But Ella didn’t even look in Kelly’s direction. She kept her gaze fixed on me, unwavering and stern, just like her father. And at that moment, somehow, I knew that she had a real reason for wanting to go with me. I couldn’t explain it, but for some reason, I felt as though it was important for Ella to come. It was almost like a sixth sense; even Mina reacted strongly, urging me to let Ella come along.

“Please?” Ella whimpered one last time.

I finally nodded. “Okay,” I said, holding out my hand. “You can come.”

Ella let out what almost sounded like a sigh of relief and ran up to me, taking my hand. I mouthed the words “It’s okay,” to Selina, who continued to stand in the doorway in confusion, as Ella and I stepped onto the elevator. Kelly paused for a moment, still crouching, before she finally stood again and stiffly walked over to join us.

Kelly was silent for the ride down in the elevator. Ella stayed between us, clinging to my leg almost protectively.

Even though part of me thought that it was something more than it seemed, I pushed that part of my mind away and told myself that Kelly and Ella were only acting like this because they just didn’t get along very well.