Chapter 607
On the balcony, Tessa finally heard the commotion from the room. She quickly pocketed her phone. The video was her ace in the hole, not to be shared recklessly. It was to be kept safe.
Whenever she felt down, she’d watch it and enjoy how Aubree was defiled on the bed by several
men.
A smirk played on her cheeks as she entered the bedroom. “Sorry, I just couldn’t sleep and ended up flipping on the TV. Did I wake you, Andrew?”
Andrew didn’t speak, feeling a bitter tang in his chest. The urge to lash out was strong. He rubbed his temples, his voice flat. “Turn off the TV.”
For some reason, Tessa didn’t dare provoke him now. He was having nightmares, perhaps? He seemed so grim, his pallor ghastly.
She hurriedly shut off the TV and tiptoed to the bed, wrapping her arms around him. “Let’s just sleep.”
Andrew, fighting a wave of nausea, lay back down.
At the hospital.
Doctors surrounded Aubree, their expressions grim. Everyone knew what she had endured, but no one dared ask for details.
After treating her wounds and assuring her that the missing tooth could be fixed, the doctors left the room.
Brielle, standing by, fought back tears. She would have rather endured all this herself than see Aubree suffer so.
Aubree blinked her stinging eyes. Her body ached, and she was utterly speechless. Her throat felt like it was clogged.
She gestured for Brielle to step out. She craved rest, to lie on this stark white bed until the end of time. Her voice was weak, and her body was drenched in sweat. Brielle stepped out to handle the hospital admission, leaving Aubree to her solitude.
Once alone, Aubree rushed to the en–suite bathroom to vomit. Her stomach burned as if on fire. Closing her eyes only brought back the vile words.
The men were dead, gone for good, but the violation shadowed her still.
Her stomach convulsed, spasming. Yet she called for no doctor, almost relishing the revolt of her body. It felt like breaking down, sinking into the mire, into the dark, where redemption was out of reach.
When Brielle returned, she didn’t enter the room right away. Aubree had asked for space, probably to process things on her own.
Chapter 607
Brielle blinked away the sting in her eyes and wandered to the opposite balcony. That was when she spotted Ricardo in the hallway. He looked shaken, undoubtedly by the events he’d witnessed. After a moment’s thought, Brielle offered him some candy from her pocket.
Ricardo froze, staring at the colorful sweets in his palm, his face flushing. “Ms. Haywood, I’m not a kid anymore.”
“Take it. You’ve been through a shock, haven’t you?”
Her voice was raw, her eyes red, a clear sign of her own struggle against immense pain. Still, she sought to comfort him.
Ricardo managed a weak smile. “No. Ms. Haywood, am I going to jail?”
“No way, you’re Stellar Stage’s golden boy. I won’t let you go to jail.”
Patrick’s guys should be handling things by now. After tonight, no one would know what happened there.
“Ricardo, you’ll be fine. Trust me.”
“Yeah, I trust you.”
A small smile tugged at Ricardo’s lips. “But Ms. Haywood, aren’t you scared of me after what
you saw?”
He had to ask. What was going on inside Brielle’s head? She was so different.
“You were just scared. If anyone should be afraid, you should be scared of me. After all, I’m the one who ended a life.” She looked down at her fingertips. She could smell the smell of bloom clinging to them. Maybe she was never normal.
Her gaze fell. “Anyway, don’t worry about what’s next, Ricardo. Just play your part, and leave the rest to me.”
“Okay, Ms. Haywood. I’ll play my part.”
“In your presence, I’ll be the obedient and clean Ricardo,” He thought.
Brielle nodded. “You must be exhausted and frightened. Go rest.” .
Ricardo grinned, revealing sharp canines. “Alright.”
He strolled out of the hospital in high spirits, when a man emerged from behind a tree nearby. “You fooled her with such a poor act. I wonder if Brielle is naive or just missing a screw.”
