Before I could ask Ashton what pressing affairs he was attending to, he’d already gotten out of the car and shut the door behind him. I reclined in my seat, feeling the warmth of the radiator suffuse the car.
Memories of the baby and what had happened then crowded my mind, and Ashton’s business at the police department was set aside. After a while, I picked up my phone and dialed Cameron’s number.
She picked up almost immediately. “Scarlett, didn’t you say you were coming back soon? Why aren’t you back yet? Where are you? I’ll get your Dad to go over and pick you up,” she answered anxiously.
“There’s no need! I’m with Ashton. I don’t think I’ll be heading back tonight,” I replied.
Cameron grunted in acknowledgment, then asked, “Why did he suddenly come back? How are things going in Moranta? Zachary said that Boris was getting news about the Murphys and how difficult they were to handle. Why did Ashton come back at this crucial point in time?”
I sucked in a breath of warm air and felt it settle in my lungs before exhaling gently. I then said uneasily, “Hannah’s getting married. Ashton was worried that I wouldn’t be comfortable going alone and came along to accompany me. He was needlessly worried.”
“That’s good! I was thinking anyway that if you could come over a little later, I’d whip up a light supper for you. I can’t rest easy not knowing if you’ve been taking good care of yourself nowadays,” Cameron fretted.
There was no malice in Cameron’s tone, merely an infinite supply of concern and tenderness.
I knew what she was thinking and replied slowly, “Mom, did the doctor say whether I would still be able to conceive?”
Cameron was flabbergasted. She hesitated for a long while before saying, “My dear, Summer is doing fine now. She’ll recover with enough care. Mr. Fuller treats you well. When he’s back from Moranta, the three of you can be reunited as a family again and take care of each other…”
“Mom, did the doctor say I won’t be able to conceive ever again?” I repeated doggedly. I already knew what the answer was but had to hear it spoken out loud. My hope for a miracle had gradually faded along with each day that passed.
The other end of the line was dead silent for a long time. At last, Cameron said kindly, “Don’t worry too much about being able to have babies. Your womb was the only thing that was affected. With technology being so advanced these days, you can still opt for in vitro fertilization. Don’t let not being able to conceive get you down! Everything will be all right.”
In vitro fertilization?
A thought sprang to mind. I quickly said into the phone, “Mom, there’s something I have to do. I’ll be hanging up first!”
I ended the call, breathing rapidly. My mind raced feverishly. Gazing at the police department entrance where Ashton had vanished into and I wondered. Would Ashton be willing to try?
I cracked open the car door slightly. The frosty wind immediately gnawed at my exposed face. Shivering slightly, I kept my arms tucked tightly against my chest as I hurried into the police department.
Police officers were milling about the main lobby inside. I looked around cautiously but saw no sign of Ashton. I’d approached the front desk and was about to ask for him when I heard a loud roar from behind the metal screen. “I don’t want to stay here, Ash! I didn’t do it! Please don’t leave me here! I didn’t do it!”
The high voice sounded oddly familiar. Rebecca?
I walked closer to where the shouts were emitting from. The guard sitting in front of the door jumped up hastily, barricading my way. “Miss, you are not authorized to enter.”
I smiled at him politely, then informed him, “My husband’s in there. He came in without me just now.”
Ashton must somehow have heard my voice from amidst the surrounding ruckus, and opened the door. He looked thunderous. When he caught sight of me, his tense features instantly softened. “What’s wrong? Isn’t it cold outside?” he asked worriedly.
Rebecca was sitting on a chair in the room just behind Ashton, looking utterly disgraced. I didn’t think it was possible for her to be more humiliated than she had been, but I was clearly wrong. “What’s she doing here?” I inquired, gesturing towards Rebecca.
It felt a little cruel of me to ask when I knew perfectly well what had happened to Rebecca.
Rebecca indeed gave me a look of tremendous indignation. She practically spat, “Scarlett, stop being so hypocritical! You know more clearly than anyone else what I’m doing here. You landed me here! I didn’t do anything at all. You’re evil!”
“You’d better shut your mouth,” Ashton growled. Frightened by the harshness with which he’d issued the threat, Rebecca’s face turned ashen, and she fell silent.
I, too, was not exempt from the solemn effect that warning had, even though it had not been directed to me. My heart pounded in my chest.
A sudden hush descended upon the room. Ashton glowered at Rebecca, saying distinctly, “Nobody forced you to make those choices you made. I’ve given you what you were due, so don’t come to me using your brother’s name anymore. I am not obliged to you. Since you’ve committed a crime, then do your time. When you’re released, don’t come and bother me any further. I don’t have the time to spend on people like you who I have absolutely no business with.”
Ashton spoke these utterly brutal words with a leer that revealed the extent to which he despised Rebecca.
Rebecca’s eyes had gone red. Stammering, she said, “Am I a nobody to you then? Someone who’s merely a waste of your time and who you have no business with?”
