Her eyes drifted to the folder of medical results lying beside her.
And then a tray dropped sharply onto the table next to Jasper. Nina lifted her head. Lynn took the free seat across from Nina. Her tray held tea and a vegetable omelet.
“How long are you two planning to sit here cooing?” she asked calmly.“You’re already all over the clinic chats. Someone even took pictures—you didn’t notice because you were too busy smiling at each other. At this point most of the staff is convinced there was never any assault at all.”
Jasper froze, the fork halfway to his mouth.
A second later, he cleared his throat roughly, as if dragging his voice back into his body.
CHAPTER 51
Nina slipped out the side door, carrying a container of cat food. She walked down the neat stone steps into the garden and headed toward the old feeding bowl by the fence. It had been there forever, and every evening she filled it without thinking.
She crouched down and poured the crunchy food in. She didn’t even have time to straighten up before the“lady of the house”—a brazen cat with the attitude of a true queen—appeared from under a decorative shrub. At first, Nina had thought she was a stray. She pitied her and fed her. Then the cat showed up with a surprise kittens. Since then, she came for dinner like clockwork, every single night. And during the day she vanished as if she never existed. Nina suspected more and more that the cat actually belonged to one of the neighbors.
“Well, you little glutton,” she murmured,“did you bring everyone again?”
One by one, three tiny creatures emerged from the shadows: a black one, a tabby, and a ginger. They rushed to the bowl in a furry stampede. Nina watched them with a smile. There was a lightness in her chest she hadn’t felt in months. Almost all her problems were finally settled. Daphne had flown to Germany and transferred to a university. Nothing was holding her here anymore. And this house—this whole town—carried far too many bad memories.
Even though Frank was arrested and the investigation was underway, with one dirty deed after another coming to light, she was still scared. It wouldn’t cost him anything to hire someone to‘get rid of her.’So even with security posted outside, Nina still slept poorly.
“Nina!” A woman’s voice cut through the quiet evening so sharply she flinched.
She lifted her head and listened.
“Nina, I know you’re home! Come out, I want to talk to you!”
Oh no. Not her. Nina recognized the voice instantly. Vivian. What the hell was she doing here?
Nina froze for a second, then straightened up and smoothed her clothes out of habit. There was commotion in the front yard.
Vivian had been calling nonstop for days until Nina finally blocked her number. She hadn’t picked up even once and had no idea what that vile woman wanted from her.
Her breath caught, Vivian clearly wasn’t leaving without making a scene.
Nina walked around the house. The security team was already on the scene. One of the men was holding Vivian by the arm; the second stood nearby, ready to intervene. Vivian’s face was flushed, her lips pressed tight, her eyes burning with anger. She was shouting something, but the moment she noticed Nina, she fell silent.
Nina stopped a couple of meters away and looked at her calmly. Vivian didn’t look even remotely as enchanting as usual. Her hair was barely contained, dark circles pooled under her eyes, and there wasn’t a trace of makeup. It seemed she hadn’t had the time—or the strength—to maintain her curated“Mrs. Osborne” persona.
“Let her go,” Nina said quietly to the guard.
He shot her a quick look, nodded, and stepped aside.
Vivian exhaled noisily, adjusted her hair, and took a step forward. Nina didn’t move.
“What do you want?” Nina asked evenly. She felt no fear, no pity. Only coldness.
For a second, Vivian faltered. Her gaze flicked away, as if she was about to throw out one of her usual poisonous remarks, Nina could see it in the tense line of her jaw—but she stopped herself at the last moment.
She inhaled deeply. Then again. She looked like someone swallowing their own pride whole.
“I know you had something to do with Frank’s arrest,” she finally forced out. Her voice cracked, but she pulled herself together quickly.“Everything we had was confiscated. All our accounts are frozen.”
She paused, as if hoping Nina would react somehow. Nina didn’t.Vivian looked away.
“We have a child, Nina. Do you understand?”
Then she met Nina’s eyes again.
