Chapter 47
Forty-Seven
Sabine
For the next few days, Astor and I don’t leave the beach house.
Valerie’s medical testing confirmed that she has cardiovascular disease, which is common in patients with schizophrenia. She stayed overnight in the hospital and was released the next day with a slew of new prescriptions. With her came two full-time nurses (not Jackie or Brittney) who rotate out every twelve hours, and a doctor who visits daily. The next step will be surgery, although she’s not stable enough for that yet.
Astor and I rarely speak about what happened at Leo’s apartment, though it’s a sick, dark cloud that lingers between us. Cillian “took care” of the bloody scene and erased any evidence that we were there. It’s like it never happened. Well, aside from the sinking feeling in my gut I get every time I think about it.
I try to stay out of the way as much as possible, which I’m doing now, trimming hedges in the garden. It’s a humid, cloudy day with the promise of rain on the horizon.
More rain.
The overnight nurse reverses out of the driveway, pulling my attention. Seconds later, the day nurse arrives.
I decide to take a break.
I pull my phone from my pocket.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Brittney, it’s Sabine.”
“Hey! How are you? How’s Mr. Stone? And Valerie?” I can hear the hustle of the hospital behind her. She must be at work.
“Valerie’s pretty sick.”
“I’m sorry to hear that. How do you like the new nurses?”
“I don’t know, really. I’ve just been staying out of the way as much as possible.”
“I know one of them, Carla. Everyone loves her. She’s been around for a long time and knows her stuff. How’s Mr. Stone?”
“He’s okay, trying to catch up on work stuff while dealing with Valerie’s health.” I take a deep breath. “So. How are things in geriatrics?”
“Today, a patient came in. Her name is Karen. She’s in and out a lot. She asked for me specifically and when I went to see her, she’d knitted me a scarf.”
“Oh, Brittney, that’s so wonderful.”
“Yes, I almost cried. It makes the bad days and bed pans worth it.”
“You’re something else, you know that?”
“Honestly, though? I’d rather be working for you again. ”
I chuckle, but it feels forced.
Ever since the night at Leo’s, I’ve been sick about Brittney. Obviously, I couldn’t tell her what happened, but I can’t help that I want to. I hate lying to her.
“So, um, Leo still hasn’t turned up?” She asks.
“No.” My stomach sinks. “We think he took off after Astor met with him.”
She sighs. “And you’re still not going to tell me what they talked about?”
“Maybe someday.” I swallow the knot in my throat. “Anyway, that’s not why I’m calling. I wanted to let you know you should be receiving a package today. A few, actually.”
“Really?” Her voice perks up. “From you?”
“Yes, ma’am.” I smile. “If anything doesn’t fit, let me know.”
“Oh my gosh, Sabine?—”
“Hush. Don’t make it weird.”
“Thank you so much.”
“It’s my pleasure.”
And it really, really is.
Brittney and I speak for twenty more minutes, sharing stories about her patients. I cling onto every word, hoping she finds contentment and happiness in her day.
After hanging up, I go inside. Astor and Cillian are in the office on a conference call. The door is open.
I lift my hand. Astor smiles and dips his chin.
I motion that I’m getting a drink and ask if he wants one. He shakes his head, then winks. I smile back. We’re trying.
After washing the dirt from my hands, I pour a glass of sweet tea.
The nurse steps out of Valerie’s room, shakes her phone at me indicating she needs to take this call, then steps outside.
I haven’t seen Valerie since she got back from the hospital. She hasn’t left her bed and the nurses keep the door shut while they’re inside.
Curiosity gets the better of me and, before I can stop myself, I tip-toe down the hall and peek inside.
Valerie is lying in bed with her eyes closed. Her cheeks are pale and sunken in, giving her a ghostly appearance. She’s even more emaciated than she was a week ago. Multiple wires run from under the covers to monitors, which beep every few seconds.
I lean against the door, a wave of sadness washing over me. No matter how deceitful the woman was, no one deserves this.
I find myself metaphorically slipping into her shoes, thinking of her story.
Valerie got pregnant with Astor’s baby and accepted an invitation to marry despite the lack of love between them. After miscarrying the baby, instead of telling Astor, she keeps it a secret and begins an intimate relationship with the young, handsome house manager to fill the void of a loveless marriage. Finding herself pregnant once again, Valerie sees an opportunity—make Astor believe the baby is his, and continue her lavish lifestyle, while secretly having multiple affairs, including one with her husband’s archrival.
But the story doesn’t end there. In an ironic twist, the child is tragically killed by the hands of his father, Leo, because Leo couldn’t handle the stress of knowing that Astor might one day discover their secret and have him killed.
But now?—
Chloe is dead.
Carlos is dead.
Valerie’s sister, Prishna, is dead.
Leo is dead.
And Valerie is wasting away.
All because two people, who didn’t love each other, committed to a life together out of obligation (Astor) and opportunity (Valerie). It’s a twisted, cautionary tale of devotion to self over love.
As I study her, I wonder if it was all worth it. The years of lies and manipulation. If she could go back in time, would she do it all over again?
“Come.”
I startle at the voice that came out of nowhere and look over my shoulder, expecting to see the nurse. But she’s still outside on the phone.
When I turn back around, Valerie’s eyes are open and fixed on me.
“Come,” she beckons with a long, skinny finger.
Again, I look over my shoulder. Astor is still in his office, engrossed in the call he’s on.
I step into the room. It reeks of antiseptic and bleach.
You’re just the housekeeper, I remind myself. She thinks you’re just the housekeeper.
“What are you drinking?” She asks in a weak and raspy voice.
I look at the glass in my hand, having forgotten I was even holding it.
“Iced tea. Would you like some?”
“Yes.”
“Okay.”
She tilts her head to the side. “What happened to your scars?”
I frown. “What?”
“They’re gone. Where did they go?” She lifts a painfully skinny arm and taps the side of her face with her index finger. The loose skin around her bicep jiggles.
She thinks I’m her deceased sister, Prishna, who was once badly burned. She’s completely delusional.
“They faded.” I play along, recalling the scar ointment Prishna carried in her bag. “With the cream I used daily.”
“I like the scars better.”
An odd thing to say.
Valerie pulls out a thin gold chain from under her house dress. On it is the half-pendant of a broken heart. Her sister wore the other half around her neck.
Her face falls into deep sadness. “You understand, don’t you?”
The hair on the back of my neck prickles.
“Understand, what?”
Valerie looks down, her eyes filling with tears.
Desperate to know what she’s talking about, I step forward. “Understand what, sister?”
The beeps on the monitor become faster. Whatever she’s talking about is making her visibly upset.
“Understand what, Valerie?”
The nurse’s silhouette appears beyond shades that are drawn against the windows. She’s still on her call, but making her way back to the front door. She must have gotten an alert.
I back up, heart pounding. “What do I understand?” I whisper-hiss. “What? Tell me.”
Boots on the front porch. Dammit.
I turn to rush out of the room. When I reach the doorway, Valerie calls after me.
“Sabine?”
I freeze. She said my name.
My real name.
I turn.
Our eyes lock. What was once sadness is now ice-cold hatred.
She says, “Don’t ever forget, beautiful butterfly, you weren’t the first one on that bathroom counter.”
The front door opens.
I spin on my heel and step out of the room. As I quietly close the door behind me, I take one more look over my shoulder just as Valerie closes her eyes and the machines begin to flash red.