Unfortunately, Rebecca had given chase. Bemused, Hannah exclaimed with a short laugh, “This woman is really something!”
I found Hannah’s utterance rather abrupt. Before I could respond, I caught sight of Rebecca standing just behind us, staring at us somewhat unsteadily.
Realization dawned upon me when I saw the car parked right outside the alley. Hannah’s irrational calmness now made complete sense.
By the time Rebecca recovered her wits, it was far too late. The policemen were already converging on her and caught up within a few steps.
“What are you doing? What right do you have to arrest me?” Rebecca shrieked. Her cries fell on deaf ears as she was handcuffed and thrown into the car.
Hannah pointed back to the alley in the direction from whence we came. “Officers, there’s still a whole crowd waiting inside! Get them quickly!” she cried.
Seeing that her shouts of abuse had no effect on the implacable policemen, Rebecca turned the full brunt of her rage towards me. “Scarlett, I won’t forget this! Watch out! I won’t let you get away with this!”
Hannah and I merely turned onto another path and went on our way. Rebecca’s yells of abuse faded gradually into the distance. I shook my head in amazement, then turned to Hannah and asked, “Did you already have the police on standby since the beginning?”
Hannah nodded with a look of satisfaction. “Prevention is always better than cure when dealing with nasty matters like these. It was dangerous enough to drag you along with me. If I hadn’t headed in with my guard up and anything had happened to you, I wouldn’t be able to live with myself.”
I marveled at the intricacies of Hannah’s planning. I was about to continue, but Chandler’s car pulled up beside us. I didn’t think it would be right to retain Hannah with me when the lovebirds had clearly reunited, so I merely waved goodbye to her and headed back to the villa.
Summer was just shakily getting back on her feet after the illness. Cameron fussed over Summer like a mother hen, so she was insistent on having her. She had intended to become Summer’s sole caretaker. Ashton, meanwhile, was still in Moranta. I wanted to pop by the villa to grab a couple of things before making my way over to the Moore Residence. When I’d gotten out of the car, I stopped short at the sight of Ashton driving out of the garage.
After more than ten days of being apart, I took a double-take when I saw Ashton. He got out of the car and flashed a disarming smile at me. “Did you go shopping?” he asked casually, glancing at the snacks I held in my hand.
I froze for a second, then ran into his waiting arms. I pressed my cheeks, raw from the cold, onto his warm chest, saying hoarsely, “Why did you come back all of a sudden? When did you arrive in K City? Why didn’t you tell me? I would have come to fetch you!”
Ashton patted me tenderly. In a low voice, he murmured, “It’s too cold outside. I didn’t want you to freeze to death.” He disentangled himself, then pulled me towards the car. “Let’s make a trip to the police department!”
Ashton lightly planted a kiss on my forehead, then bundled me into the car. In the warmth that filled the car, I opened my bag of snacks and offered one to Ashton, asking, “Have you eaten anything?”
Before I’d finished, I’d borne the snack towards his mouth. Ashton glanced at the snack hovering threateningly near his lips, then at my eager expression. Chuckling, he opened his mouth and ate the snack dutifully. As he ate, he replied, “Hannah’s wedding is in a few days. I was afraid that you’ll be lonely going by yourself.”
“Did you come back to be my plus one, then?” I asked, feeding myself. I didn’t usually have much of an appetite when I was around, but was strangely invigorated by Ashton’s presence.
Ashton smiled. “Yep!” he said. Then he continued concernedly, “Didn’t you eat dinner?”
I laughed genially. “I did! I just wasn’t hungry at the time, so I bought some snacks to eat on the way home. I only bought these snacks because they’re so delicious.”
Ashton looked helplessly at me. “Snacks aren’t good for your health. You should… Oh!” As he was speaking, I stuffed another snack into his mouth to forbid him from continuing. “I know snacks aren’t healthy! I don’t eat them usually. It’s my first time in a long while, so don’t worry, Mr. Fuller!”
Ashton sighed dramatically. “I’ve only been gone a few days, and you’ve stopped taking care of yourself! You’ve lost weight.”
I tilted my head and stared him down. “Right, when are you planning on going to Moranta? How’s it going over there? Are we going to leave that matter with Armond just like that?”
Ashton gaze was focused intently on the road ahead. His brow wrinkled ever so slightly as he replied, “I’ll head back after Hannah’s wedding is over. You stay in K City and take care of yourself.”
I chewed on my lip. Ashton seemed to have cultivated a borderline obsession with my health. Every interaction we had was sure to consist of an order to take care of my health like how Ashton had just emphasized.
The car sped towards the police department. Looking out of the window, I felt tremendously unsettled. The baby lay like a solid, invisible presence between Ashton and me. He’d wanted a child with all his heart, desperately. But all the desire in the world could not and would not bring our baby back.
We screeched to a halt at the entrance of the police department. Ashton looked at me, then ordered, “Stay in the car where it’s warm. I’m going in to deal with a couple of things and will be out in a while. Stay right here, OK?”
