Hazel had been kind enough to comment that, as she had no previous cautions and a spotless record, she was ‘hopeful’ this would not lead to a suspension of her nursing licence. But it would probably be ‘best’ for the hospital, and Ellie, if she took some time out while they investigated the complaints raised by members of the public.
They’d be in touch soon to determine a decision about her alleged alcohol and drug abuse. There was also mention of a possible police investigation, if her drug record-keeping showed any inconsistencies.
Ellie closed the email with trembling fingers. They were taking it seriously and, although she had nothing to hide, she felt as cornered as a rat in an ally.
Things were worse than she could ever have imagined.
She opened the emails from her mum, hoping for some sort of comfort or guidance, but was horrified to see several links that took her to pictures of her ‘mooning’ at the pool.
From this angle, and the way she was leaning forward to hold up her bikini at the front, it looked as if she was deliberately mooning a shocked and horrified Liam and Savannah. Worse still, she was clutching a cocktail glass, which didn’t seem tohelp matters as the headline read,DRINK-FUELLED NURSE TURNS SAVANNAH AND LIAM’S ROMANTIC WEDDING INTO A NIGHTMARE!
There were several more images of her.Alwayswith a drink in hand, occasionally with two. There was even a photo of her gleefully pulling apart a wilted bouquet, her head thrown back with almost manic laughter. Alex must have been cropped out of that photo – lucky for him.
Christ on a bike!It was horrendous; she looked crazy. She didn’t even remember half of these pictures. Who had taken them?
Amongst all of the pictures there were a few captioned quotes from a ‘reliable’ source. The quotes swirled in front of her eyes and she dipped lower into her seat, afraid of unseen enemies and cameras. The entire world hated her, and she could see why.
Alex met Ellie at his lowest point after his break-up with Savannah. He’d produced and directed The Great Gatsby on the London stage, which at first had a lukewarm reception. Life began to imitate art when he found himself falling into the arms of serial dater and party girl Eliza Dorothy Jones. Witnesses say they left together after his opening-night party, with Alex heavily under the influence of either drugs or alcohol. Close friends believe Miss Jones, a registered nurse, took advantage of Alex, possibly spiking his drink with strong medications.
There was a picture of her Tinder profile, as well as a quote from a previous ‘liaison’ who’d had to end his date with her early because she’d been ‘too intense – wanting to make plans for marriage and children within minutes of meeting with him’.
Presumably it was the same guy who’d bailed on her on their first date. Another reason to wish epic karma on that prick.
There was also a photo of David’s fiancée, including an interview, and of course a link to the damn TikTok of her being chased around the gym. ‘Eliza Jones tried to break up my relationship. She stalked my husband-to-be and trapped him with her lies. We almost split up because of it. She’s an obviously deeply troubled fantasist, who is desperate for an alpha-male boyfriend, despite the fact she’s probably a three at best.’
She glanced at the comments box at the bottom of the article. A never-ending litany of hate. So many angry and sick emojis that Ellie felt personally attacked by each hateful comment.
‘Ugly. Fat. Bitch! I thought it was sus that they were dating. She obviously blackmailed the poor guy.’
‘What a psycho!’
‘Nurse Ratched more like…’
‘She’s gross.’
‘What a crazy fat pig!’
‘Hope there’s a hog roast in hell for her!’
‘You couldn’t pay me to f*ck that.’
‘I knew it was all lies. What on earth would Alex see in THAT!’
She had hundreds of messages on her Facebook and Instagram profile, and, after a quick look at some of the hateful comments and threats, she clicked on each icon and deleted the apps completely.
Her eyes burned, awash with tears, and she was struggling to breathe. She tried to manage the panic attack with the breathing techniques she’d been taught to use with patients. But she couldn’t stop herself from catastrophising.
Life was hopeless. If she could get on a flight to Australia right now, she would do it gladly, but she suspected this vitriol would follow her there too.
This was confirmed when she spotted some panicked text messages from Hannah asking if she was okay. Ellie couldn’t face calling her, not yet; she didn’t want to ruin Hannah’s happiness with a misery of her own making.
What had Alex even seen in her? They looked ridiculous together.
All the carefully built confidence, all the body-positivity she’d spent years nurturing, evaporated, and her mother’s words of caution came flooding back.
Why you?
He’d wanted adistraction.A holiday from his crazy, glamorous life, and he’d found it with her. He would go back to LA and his bachelor life, and she’d be left to deal with the fallout.
