Chapter 5
After the Fords arrived, Eleanor left the hospital and headed straight to the police station By the time she finished giving her statement, it was already 00 pm. She flagged down a rab and just as she got in, her phone rang it was Mathew.
“Ms. Sutton, Mr. Ford’s awake now. I’ve already arranged for someone to handle that woman from this morning, but Mr. Ford still isn’t at ease He insists on going to the company to investigate everything himself, saying he’s worried something else might happen to you.
“But the doctor said his injuries are serious he needs to stay in bed, or he’ll risk reopening his wound. Can you come over and talk him out of
Eleanor agreed and gave the driver the hospital’s address. Just as she reached the door of Aaron’s hospital room, a familiar voice made her stop in her tracks.
“You’re seriously injured. Can’t you just rest? That attacker has already been caught. Can’t you wait until you’re better to deal with the rest?”
It was Alina.
“I know how to take care of myself. I don’t need you worrying about me,” Aaron replied. His tone wasn’t exactly warm, but it still counted as a reluctant agreement,
Nonetheless, no one knew him better than Eleanor–especially his habit of saying the opposite of what he meant.
As the conversation went on, the atmosphere between them slowly improved. Eleanor listened for a few moments before pushing the door open. The first thing she saw was Alina feeding Aaron a bowl of nourishing soup.
Aaron was sitting there quietly, sipping from the spoon like a well–behaved patient. The two of them looked just like an old married couple they were even perfectly in sync when they turned around at the sound of the door opening.
Eleanor stood there silently, watching them. She hadn’t said a word yet, but both were already flustered and rushing to explain.
“She just happened to be here for a prenatal checkup-”
“Ms. Sutton, please don’t get the wrong idea. Mr. Ford helped me a while ago, and I’m really grateful. I heard he got hurt, so I came to check on him. He said he was hungry, and I didn’t want him straining his stitches, so I offered to feed him.”
Eleanor thought, “So, they aren’t that in sync after all.” She stood there, processing, without responding.
Seeing her silence, and realizing their stories did not quite match, the two panicked even more.
Alina, looking incredibly anxious, sply and started heading toward the door. ”
up Since you’re here, Ms. Sutton, I’ll leave you two alone.”
The soft click of the door closing blended seamlessly with the sudden downpour outside. Aaron instinctively wanted to follow Alina, but after glancing at Eleanor, he stopped himself.
He said, “She was just on her way to a checkup when she heard I got hurt and dropped by. Nora, don’t read too much into it.”
Eleanor didn’t need to. The truth was right in front of her, clear for all to see.
She didn’t argue. Instead, she sat beside his bed, picking up the medical chart nearby.
Aaron kept talking, already shifting the tople back to what happened that morning. “When that woman charged at you, I swear, my heart almost stopped. Nora, I’m just glad you’re okay. You should just focus on recovering at home for now. I’ll take care of everything at the dance
company.”
Eleanor quietly listened as he talked. Her eyes were on the chart, but from the corner of her eye, she noticed how he glanced out the window after every sentence.
She turned her head to look outside and saw the rain pouring hard. She finally realized why he was so on edge.
After a few more words, Aaron called Matthew and asked him to send a car over so Eleanor could head home and rest early. She didn’t argue and got up to leave.
Once she was downstairs, the driver asked for the address, but she just shook her head and
handed him a thick wad of bills.
“Wait here,” she said.
Three minutes later, Aaron walked out of the hospital, one hand over his wound, and got into Matthew’s car. That was Eleanor’s cue. She told her driver to follow them.
The car in front moved slowly, like it was scanning the sidewalk for someone. After about a quarter mile of crawling along, it finally stopped.
Then, Aaron got out, holding an umbrella, and made a beeline for someone standing under a store’s awning. It was Alina, completely soaked.
“Get in the car!” he barked.
“No, Mr. Ford, I don’t want to trouble you anymore!” she protested.
Her refusal only made him angrier. He pressed his lips into a hard line and snapped, “You’re carrying my child. Say no one more time, and I’ll kiss you right here on the street.”
The rain kept falling, but their heated voices cut right through it, clear as day to Eleanor sitting in the car behind them. She watched as Aaron pulled Alina under his umbrella and
Chapter
walked her back to the car, his arm around her shoulders protectively.
wrapped in gauze, was
The umbrella was tilted, with most of it shielding Alina. His chest, completely soaked. Before long, a hint of red was already seeping through the fabric.
Raindrops tapped against the car window, landing on Eleanor’s face like silent tears. She reached out and closed the window.
It took her a long time before she finally spoke. “Let’s go.”
Chapter &
