Bethany was all flustered.
It was unexpectedly quiet on the other end of the line.
âMom? Mom! Are you there? What should we do now?â
âWe have to get rid of the maid.â
Moments later, Shannon said grimacingly, âJust act like this never happened. Donât spook her, and
keep an eye on her. When the time is right, weâll make sure our problem disappears off the face of the
earth.â
Bella rested and recuperated before she was released from the
hospital.
On the day of her discharge, the Thompsons, except for Drew, who did not want to run into Wyatt, were
there for her. Even all three of
Wyattâs wives made the trip from Hatchbay.
The women in the family nearly wept as the apple of the familyâs eye had lost a lot of weight.
âYou had it rough, child.â
Celeste, the most sentimental of the bunch, cried her eyes out and gave Bella a tight hug. âWe didnât
do a good job protecting you. Iâm sorry, child.
âI should be the one to apologize, Aunt Celeste.â
Bella hugged Celeste back, anguish washing over her. âHave you been
feeling better? Did Wyatt buy you bags, clothes, or jewelry? Oof. Donât tell me Wyatt has been stingy
with money and didnât get you
anything.â
âCeleste isnât into that kind of stuff. She brought a lot of uncommon
groceries and local specialties to be your chef for the next few
weeks.â Putting her arm around Milaâs waist, Sasha spoke with a smile.
âHuh? Iâm fine. Honest.â Bella waved her arms frantically. She loved Celesteâs cooking, but all that food
would go to her belly.
It would take a lot of kayaking to shed the pounds.
Across the street, Justin stood in the cold woods and stared intently
at Bella. His burning gaze never left her smiling face.
Upon learning of her hospital discharge, Justin blew off an important meeting and made his way there.
However, he hid in the shadows to gawp at the woman who was once
his.
She used to be the closest person to him.
Now, Bella was unreachable.
The long-absent smile on Bellaâs beautiful face brought Justin back
to the day she screamed hysterically at him. She even got physical
with him.
The man held his chest shakily.
The pain ripped through his chest repeatedly, leaving him breathless and agonized.
He had no one to blame but himself.
Were Rosalind or Christopher responsible in any way?
No, the only one at fault was him.
âBella⦠Bellaâ¦â
Caught in a moment, Justin let his instincts take over and took a step toward her.
A fancy car approached and pulled up in front of Bella.
It was Wyattâs ride, an old, classic Rolls Royce. It was one-of-a kind
and pretty flashy.
Quentin got out of the car and opened the door to the back seat.
Thinking her dad was getting out, Bella was stunned by what she saw
A gentleman in a suit stepped out of the vehicle.
It was Christopher.