Chapter 45: The Silent Wife
The next day, at the hospital,
Aveline had done her best to keep Scarlett away from the news, but rumors about Damien and Vivienne had made her jittery. Vivienne’s disappearance had tipped her over. Nate had no choice but to tell her that Aveline was in the hospital.
Charles, who stayed overnight with Aveline, left the room to fetch something delicious for his sister and her best friend.
The second he closed the door, Scarlett stormed in, arms crossed and fire burning in her eyes. "I feel like choking you. Linnie, you were supposed to keep me in the loop. I nearly had a heart attack hearing you were hospitalized."
She took a long breath, then eyed Aveline suspiciously. "Tell me this is all an act." Because Aveline was sitting at ease.
Aveline wanted to lie, to stop Scarlett from panicking, but it would be a bloodbath if she got caught. So she simply pointed at the cupboard where there was a copy of her reports.
Scarlett’s eyes narrowed. She hesitated a bit, then moved toward the cupboard. Her voice dropped. "Linne, that body check last week... it was for this, wasn’t it?"
Aveline bit her lip and nodded.
Scarlett froze for a moment, then yanked the reports from the cupboard. She didn’t get through all of it before the papers slipped from her hands. She trembled, stuck between fury and heartbreak. She wanted to scream at Aveline, kill Damien, and cry, all at once.
Her voice cracked. "Linnie, please tell me this is curable." Her eyes moistened.
Aveline got off the bed and hugged her tightly. "It is. Three weeks, Red. I’ll be fine."