Aria Sinclair was physically fine. The doctor said she could be discharged that afternoon, but she didn’t want to go home.
She didn’t want to return to the house that brought her so much sorrow or face the people who caused her so much pain.
Her mind was a complete mess, and she had no idea how to deal with this awful situation.
Vincent Morgan understood her and completely respected her decision.
Worried she might get lost in her thoughts if left alone, he even brought his work to the hospital.
"Vincent, you should go to the office. Don’t worry about me," Aria Sinclair said, watching her son sitting on the sofa with his laptop propped on his legs. He was staring down at the screen, and she worried he’d get uncomfortable holding that position for too long.
"Mom, I’m fine," Vincent Morgan said gently.
"Your neck is going to get sore later."
Vincent Morgan chuckled. "If it gets sore, I’ll stop. I’m not a child."
"Alright." Aria Sinclair nodded. "Rest if you get tired."
She picked up her phone, only to find it had died. "Vincent, do you have a charger? My phone’s dead."
"I do." Vincent Morgan set down his laptop and pulled a power bank from his computer bag.
Aria Sinclair plugged it in. Once it turned on, she saw a missed call from Zachary Morgan and a message he’d sent last night.
[Aria, your phone was off. I have something to take care of, so I’ll be away for two days.]
Aria Sinclair stared blankly at the message.
’Something to take care of...’
’Is he also trying to figure out how to handle this?’
’Or is he considering whether or not to cover for Zoe Morgan?’
At the thought of this possibility, Aria Sinclair’s eyes darkened, her expression a mixture of anger and solemnity.
She gripped her phone tightly, her breathing growing heavy.
After a moment, Aria Sinclair seemed to come to a realization. She sent a simple reply to Zachary Morgan and tossed the phone aside.
**
Renee Jennings had just finished breakfast when Michelle Fuller called.
"Renee, are you busy today?"
"Not at the moment. What’s up?" Renee Jennings asked with a laugh.
Michelle Fuller: "Then I’ll drive over and pick you up. The bag I bought last week just arrived, and I’m taking it out today."
Renee Jennings was helpless against her. "Alright, I’ll get ready now."
"Love you~"
"You love your bag."
"But I love you more~"
After hanging up, Renee Jennings went back to her room to change into the dark gray, knit, schoolgirl-style skirt set that Michelle Fuller had bought her a while back.
As she came downstairs, Rhea Dempsey was just walking in from the courtyard. "Going out?"
"Yeah, Michelle is coming to pick me up," Renee Jennings said. "We’ll probably do some shopping. Do you need me to buy anything for you?"
"I don’t need anything." Rhea Dempsey sank into the couch, leaning back lazily. "I’m not lacking anything... except a son-in-law."
Renee Jennings: "...?"
She blinked, thinking she must have misheard.
’Lacking a son-in-law?’
She said coolly, "Well, I’m off."
Michelle Fuller hadn’t arrived yet, so Renee Jennings spent about ten minutes playing with her furry friends in the courtyard.
Once in the car, Michelle Fuller immediately handed over her new bag. "What do you think? Cute, right?"
"It’s cute. Perfect for a sweet girl like you," Renee Jennings nodded, looking less than interested.
The tiny bag was purely for show; it couldn’t even fit a phone. At most, it could hold a compact and a lipstick.
As they chatted, Renee Jennings opened a streaming app and saw that Reina Vance had sent her a private message in the wee hours of the morning.
The previous night, after apologizing to her fiancé, Howard Shaw, and receiving his forgiveness, Reina Vance had asked about Sheryl Sterling.
"Honey, I have a question for you, but I want to make it clear first—I’m not doubting you at all."
Howard Shaw, who was peeling a shrimp for her, nodded. "Go on, then."
Reina Vance bit her lip and asked cautiously, "It’s just... Sheryl... has she ever chatted with you?"
"Yeah, she has," Howard Shaw said. "But we haven’t talked about much."
Reina Vance blinked. Just as she was about to ask if she could see their chat history, Howard Shaw offered it himself.
"You can take my phone and look. But why are you suddenly asking about this?"