+25 BONUS
Chapter 390
Chapter 390
Hendrix sat frozen, his face pale and grim.
Noelle couldn’t hold back any longer. “What happened?”
Hendrix slowly turned to her but said nothing. Instead, he yanked the wheel into a sharp U–turn.
The way he tore down the road told Noelle something was very wrong. She tightened her grip on the seatbelt and fixed her eyes ahead.
They hadn’t gone far from Freeman Manor, but chaos had already erupted. The housekeeper’s screams echoed through the house while Ophelia stood in the living room, pounding her chest in fury.
“What a mess! This is a nightmare!” she yelled. “I said from the very start–someone like her should never have stayed here! She did it once, and now, it’s happening again! She won’t stop until she drags the Freemans straight to hell!”
Noelle stopped in her tracks.
But Hendrix didn’t. He stormed up the stairs, his movements frantic in a way she had never seen before.
Not long after, the doctor and an ambulance arrived. Noelle remained downstairs in the living room.
Soon, she saw Hendrix coming down, carrying Beatrice in his arms. Her long white dress was soaked through with blood.
Noelle’s eyes went wide. Then, a wave of nausea rolled through her, twisting her stomach. She tried to push it down, but the thick scent of blood in the air was relentless.
She turned and bolted for the bathroom, barely reaching it before she threw up.
It was Thanksgiving Day. In Coppersville, that meant generous meals and bread pudding. Apart from Christmas, Thanksgiving was the one holiday that had to be spent with family.
But this year, Beatrice had taken a paring knife and plunged it into her abdomen. The doctor said the wound was nearly eight inches deep.
Noelle couldn’t imagine the kind of resolve it took to do something like that. Worse, Beatrice had stabbed herself in the lower abdomen–dangerously close to her womb.
Noelle recalled Beatrice’s words from earlier, and suddenly, she understood this was Beatrice’s act of defiance, her bitter curse on Hendrix.
If Beatrice could have done it back then, perhaps she would have taken the knife and ensured Hendrix died inside.
her.
The thought sent a chill through Noelle. She placed a hand over her belly, the sterile scent of disinfectant making her lightheaded.
She had considered walking away from all of it. But she knew she couldn’t when she saw the person beside her.
Hendrix had carried Beatrice downstairs himself, and in doing so, her blood had soaked into his clothes. The stain wasn’t very noticeable against his black coat, but the large pool of it carried an unsettling weight.
He was always meticulous. Noelle had never seen him in anything but spotless, well–pressed clothes. Yet now, he made no move to change.
He sat rigidly, his expression unreadable. He folded his arms, his hands clenched so hard that the veins on the
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backs of his hands were disturbingly visible.
Noelle slowly looked away.
Gently, she asked, “Do you want to go home and get some stay. The doctor said Beatrice was out of danger. There’s r
They were the only two in that vast, quiet space. Noelle’s he didn’t react.
She closed her eyes and, eventually, reached for his hand.
+25 BONUS
Chapter 390
backs of his hands were disturbingly visible.
Noelle slowly looked away.
Gently, she asked, “Do you want to go home and get some rest? You’ll have a lot to handle tomorrow, right? I can stay. The doctor said Beatrice was out of danger. There’s nothing to worry about.”
They were the only two in that vast, quiet space. Noelle’s words were clear. She knew Hendrix had heard her, but he didn’t react.
She closed her eyes and, eventually, reached for his hand.
