Chapter 94
The words had barely faded from the air when the door to the hospital room swung
open.
The butler entered, his voice composed. “Sir, she’s awake.”
Eddy instantly released his grip on Jeannette, the icy severity in his eyes softening to something almost sorrowful. Without another word, he strode out of the room.
“Let go of my mother,‘ now!” Jeannette shouted at the bodyguards as Eddy disappeared down the corridor. “Do you even know who I am?”
The men exchanged uneasy glances, recalling Eddy’s orders: keep going until Mrs. Parker wakes up. Now that she was conscious, there was no reason to continue–besides, none of them wanted blood on their hands. They released Rhoda without protest and hurried after their employer.
Jeannette collapsed beside her mother, both of them dissolving into desperate
sobs.
Rhoda’s face was battered and swollen, and she leaned heavily against her daughter, her voice ragged with pain. “Sweetheart… Mr. Simmons knows it was you who pushed Blanche down the stairs. There’s clear footage from the building’s security cameras.”
“To protect you, your father let Blanche accuse him of kidnapping her. He’s been arrested.”
“What?” Jeannette sank to the floor in shock. No wonder Eddy had looked at her with such coldness–she’d lied to him, and he’d known all along.
“Mom, did you really make Healy hurt Blanche?”
Rhoda nodded, guilt and pride, warring in her expression. “Everything I did was for you. I overheard Healy calling Lara, and I just offhandedly told him to give Blanche a shove. Who could have guessed that idiot would actually listen to me–and go after his own mother?”
A twisted smile flickered at the corner of her mouth, equal parts satisfaction and
contempt.
“Oh, and the butler said Mrs. Simmons is awake now?”
“Does that mean Healy actually pushed Blanche, and she lost the baby?”
“If she lost the child, that makes our Lara all the more precious,” Jeannette said, her
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spirits lifting.
Loraine had always wanted a grandson, but Jeannette had sensed that Eddy cared far more for his daughter. He was always gentler with Lara than with Healy.
“Then taking this beating was worth it,” Rhoda groaned, pushing herself upright. “You, darling, need to recover quickly–then give Eddy a son.”
“Your father’s only hope now rests with you begging for his release.”
Jeannette remembered the glacial look on Eddy’s face and felt a wave of panic. “I pleaded with him just now, and he didn’t even flinch. I’ve been by his side for five years, but I don’t think he’s ever truly cared about me.”
“Men–they always want their options open, to keep their marriages in order but still play the field. If Blanche hadn’t caught me and your father together, he’d have kept things just as they were,” Rhoda sneered, then softened. “But look at the situation
now.”
“You lied to him, you pushed Blanche, but what did he do? He only punished me. He still keeps you close–he just doesn’t want you disturbing his perfect little world.”
“I can’t stand it,” Jeannette whispered, “always living in Blanche’s shadow.”
“My clever girl. Once you give Eddy a son, and with Healy so willing to listen to you–so good to Lara–it’ll be a snap to get him to give up his inheritance. Even if you never become Mrs. Simmons, the family’s matriarch, Loraine’s title will be yours one day. The Simmons fortune will be yours, too. And you’re younger than Blanche by years–don’t tell me you can’t outlast her?”
Rhoda’s gaze turned steely. “And if you’re still worried, remember–Healy relies on you for everything. If you needed to, you could get rid of him in an instant.”
“You’re right, Mom,” Jeannette agreed, her confidence returning. “I’m younger, prettier. I refuse to lose to Blanche.”
Meanwhile, in the hospital’s top–floor private suite, Blanche lay deathly pale, staring at the ceiling with empty eyes, her face etched with defeat.
Sophie stood at her side, having rushed over as soon as she could.
Leaning close, Sophie whispered, “Blanche, the baby’s safe.”
“Dr. Smith and I have agreed–we won’t say a word to Mr. Simmons. You can trust
us.”
For a moment, Blanche just stared, uncomprehending. Then her eyes flew wide, tears spilling down her cheeks as she clutched Sophie’s hand. “Thank you. Thank
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you both.”
Her hand flew protectively to her stomach–her daughter was still safe!
But the memory of Eddy’s cold, final words outside the operating room twisted inside her, sharp and unrelenting, as if her heart had been hooked and dragged by something cruel and merciless. The pain threatened to swallow her whole.
