Chapter 29
Her Irritation bubbled over, and she snapped at Celestine, “Mom, either show up of don’t bother at all! You’re so annoying! You bring soup now, but my brother and Miss Sinclair are already fine!”
If only Mom had come sooner, she could have taken care of her brother! And then: maybe Miss Sinclair wouldn’t be monopolized!
“Celly, kids say things they don’t mean. Don’t take it to heart.” Joanna bit her lip, feigning concern as she tried to smooth things over.
Celestine just smiled, unfazed. “Are you all finished?”
Before anyone could answer, she pressed the button for the tenth floor with deliberate force.
The elevator doors slid shut almost immediately.
Their shocked faces vanished from view in an instant.
Celestine exhaled slowly.
Much quieter now.
She made her way to the hospital room and knocked, but there was no response from inside.
After waiting a moment and confirming no one was there, Celestine sent Gideon a message.
[Celestine]: Something came up. The door wasn’t locked, so I’m waiting inside. Be back soon.
Out of habit and courtesy, Celestine took a seat on the bench just outside the door.
With nothing else to do, her mind drifted back to the scene she’d just stumbled
upon.
Raymond’s fever should have broken by now; he didn’t look nearly as sick as he did in the photos.
She remembered when he was three and had a similar high fever that lasted at week.
She’d been terrified, convinced her little boy would be left with lasting damage. She cried for days.
21:12
Modern medicine hadn’t helped, so she’d turned to superstition.
She trekked out to the countryside chapel, praying at every step and begging for a charm to keep Raymond safe.
Maybe it was just her desperate hope, but not long after, his fever finally broke.
Later, her daughter accidentally let slip the truth: Raymond, not wanting to go to preschool, had snuck out of bed during the night and doused himself with cold
water.
He’d learned that “brilliant trick” from Joanna–her favorite way to skip school.
Looking back, Celestine couldn’t help but feel a bit foolish.
Maybe since then–or maybe even earlier–she’d been an outsider in her own home. Celestine’s hasty exit had caught the others completely off guard.
Chester’s gaze stayed fixed on the closed elevator doors.
Raymond was bewildered.
Wasn’t Mom here to see him? Why did she leave?
He bit down on his lip, fighting the urge
to cry.
At that moment, the doors of the public elevator slid open.
Dahlia hurried out, face drawn with worry. The moment she saw Raymond’s pale cheeks, her heart ached. “Oh, sweetheart, you’ve been through so much! Come here, let Grandma take a look at you!
“Grandma! Waaaah!”
Raymond burst into tears, reaching for her, and Chester gently placed him in Dahlia’s arms.
“Mommy doesn’t want me anymore! Waaaah!” he sobbed, burying his face against her shoulder.
He poured out everything his mother had done these past few days.
“She dares!” Dahlia’s expression sharpened as she glared around. “Where the hell is Celestine? Her son’s this sick and she just vanishes? What kind of mother is he?”
Raymond wailed even louder.
Dahlia doted on her eldest grandson, and now she was both worried and furious.
21.12
“That little witch Celestine! If I don’t give her a plece of my mind today, she’ll think! she can get away with anything! Where is she?”
Chester frowned. “Mom, she’s still Raymond’s mother. Don’t say things like that.”
“I’m your mother! Don’t tell me how to run my house! And stop defending outsiders!” Dahlia snapped, her eyes flashing.
Chester gave up. “She went upstairs.”
“The tenth floor? That’s the Prescott family’s private ward. Strange—what’s Celly doing up there?” Joanna remarked, feigning innocence.
Chester’s head jerked up, his gaze narrowing as he stared at the elevator’s floor indicator.
Celestine, you better not be doing what I think you are.
“That woman? She’s dreaming if she thinks she can worm her way into the Prescott family! She should be thanking her lucky stars she married into the Fordham family in the first place!” Dahlia huffed, completely ignoring Joanna’s veiled suggestion. “She must be embarrassed to show her face and wandered upstairs by mistake! Go bring her back before she humiliates us in front of the Prescotts!”
