Death sentence?
I spent the rest of the afternoon chatting with Laurel and Tabitha, then returned to the villa.
I arrived to see Nora in the midst of moving out of the villa next door, much to my astonishment. She’d hired a bunch of professional movers who streamed in and out of the doorway toting boxes of various sizes.
Nora stood just outside the door supervising them, occasionally reminding them to be careful with her things.
I stood rooted to the spot in the yard, watching her. Nora saw me out of the corner of her eye and turned in my direction. Our eyes met, and I could see that hers were swollen and red with crying even at that distance.
What on earth has happened?
I hadn’t much of a clue what had transpired and didn’t suppose it was a suitable time to ask. I smiled at Nora embarrassedly, then stepped into the villa. Ashton was still stuck at Moranta fighting Armond. Cameron had originally extended an invitation to Summer and me to return to K City in the meantime. However, I was busy resenting Armond for having deceived me and in no mood for socializing.
I was vexed but was determined to try and accomplish something.
Back at the villa, I collapsed onto a chair in fatigue. At that moment, the doorbell rang.
I strolled over and peered out of the window. Nora was standing outside, patiently waiting for me beyond the gate of my yard.
I hastily walked out to the yard and beckoned her. “Do you want to come in?”
Nora shook her head. She replied glumly, “It’s all right. I came over to return this to you.” Having thus declared, Nora wriggled the bracelet that she was wearing off her arm, then handed it to me. Channing had originally given me a matching set of bracelets. I’d given one to Nora and kept one for myself. They weren’t worth much, but they were a significant token of my and Nora’s friendship.
I looked down at the bracelet lying in Nora’s outstretched palm, then looked back at Nora. “This bracelet belonged to your grandmother. If you’re here to ask for it back, I’ll return it to you. There’s no need for you to return anything to me. I gave the bracelet to you in the first place because of the relationship between our families and because I believed that our friendship was genuine. I never thought that anything could ever come between us. I see now that perhaps I was wrong. Even if that’s the case, I don’t want your bracelet. I gave it wholeheartedly to you back then, and I don’t intend to ask for it back even though things have turned sour between us. You can do whatever you like with it. Throw it away if you wish.”
I turned to shut the gate without waiting for her reply.
Nora, however, stopped the gate with one swift motion. She paused, then said in a trembling voice, “Thank you, Scarlett.”
I smiled faintly but said nothing. I had a rather accepting attitude towards friendships and whichever winding paths they ultimately took. I had never pursued anyone, accepting the eventual end of any relationship stoically. In the three years that I’d spent waiting for Ashton, I knew that despite how much I loved him, I would never fight for our relationship if he’d decided to give it up.
If I wasn’t even ready to strive for the person I’d loved wholeheartedly, I won’t be willing to chase after a friendship. Nora was presently entangled in her own difficulties, and I thought the best course of action would be to retreat and respect whatever decision she made.
Since Nora had evidently made her choice to part ways with me, there was no point dwelling any further. I thus chose to flash a bright smile at her and replied, “There’s no need to thank me. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.”
It was an absolutely meaningless, patronizing phrase that I’d always loathed. I now uttered it with absolute sincerity, however. I did hope that Nora and I would each come to find our own happiness eventually.
It was truly goodbye. I would no longer continue journeying through life with Nora, but I hoped that my well-wishes would remain with her when I could not.
The metal gate closed with a steely clang. I exhaled, then walked slowly back into my villa. Just as I was about to head into the room to sleep, the doorbell rang a second time. I opened it to see Nora still standing outside.
Staring fixedly at me, she muttered, “Whether you believe me or not, I have to tell you that I was drunk that night at the Imperial Hotel. If I had known that he would have turned out to be so violent, I would never have dreamt of calling you. I never wanted to cause you any harm, not even once.”
I looked at her and smiled as it was a relief. “I know. I never once thought of blaming you. Don’t worry. Go on back.”
I had indeed never blamed Nora for anything that had happened. I was merely wary that Armond had been using Nora as a pawn all along.
I was on the verge of swinging the gate back shut when Nora piped up. “Brandon’s woman was bought over by Tessa. You should be careful. It’s not safe for you to stay here alone.”
I looked at Nora, bewildered at her sudden revelation. “Got it, thank you,” I hesitated then added, “I’ll be sure to take care of myself.”
Nora hung her head, then turned and walked back to her villa.
I looked at her departing figure with a twinge of regret. Nora was never malicious. She’d simply made the mistake of falling in love with the wrong man.
…
It had never occurred to me to spy on Tessa. I’d initially planned on meeting her in person but was worried about alarming her. If I confronted Tessa directly, there was a possibility that she would reveal everything to Armond. He would then make a move against Brandon who was vulnerable and at his mercy now. The truth was Armond had no weaknesses so far. At the same time, he was cold-blooded and poisons filled his veins. Thus, he would want to ensure complete secrecy by sending Brandon to his maker to seal his mouth forever.
