Chapter 7

Evelyn said, "Nathaniel, I'm sorry. I don't know why Rosalie went down to the morgue and locked herself in. I was only joking when I told her I'd left her things there.

"I never thought she'd actually go looking for them. Now the police think I'm the one who locked her in! What am I supposed to do?"

Nathaniel was silent for a moment. When he finally spoke, his voice was low.

"As Rosalie's husband, I've already signed a statement asking the police to go easy on you. Don't worry. You'll be fine."

Rosalie lay on the cold bed, hearing every word through the door. The betrayal was almost more than she could bear.

Evelyn had nearly gotten her killed in that morgue, and Nathaniel had actually asked the police to go easy on her?

Just like that?

Furious, Rosalie grabbed a glass medicine bottle nearby and hurled it at the door with all her strength.

Moments later, the door swung open. Nathaniel walked in with Evelyn. He frowned when he saw how pale and disheveled Rosalie looked.

Rosalie struggled to sit up and glared at him. "She locked me in the morgue! I could've frozen to death in there, and you actually asked the police to go easy on her?"

Something flickered across Nathaniel's face, but he still defended Evelyn.

"Rosie, Evelyn was just being childish. She thought it would be a funny prank. She didn't think you'd actually take it seriously."

Rosalie scoffed. "A prank? Nathaniel, you know me. I'm not letting her get away with this!"

Nathaniel could see she was furious, and this time, she wasn't backing down.

He rubbed his forehead. "So what do you want?"

Rosalie ignored him and turned to his guard. "Get me a set of weighted gear. 40 pounds total!"

The guard hesitated, glancing at Nathaniel.

Nathaniel nodded.

A short while later, the guard returned with a weighted vest and some sandbags.

Rosalie led them downstairs, pointed to the weights, and turned to Evelyn.

"Put all that on and run five miles around the military hospital's training field. Finish the run, and I'll let this whole thing go."

"What?"

Evelyn stared at her in disbelief, then turned to Nathaniel for help. "Nathaniel, I-I can't! My doctor told me to avoid strenuous exercise!"

Nathaniel immediately turned to Rosalie. "Rosie, don't be ridiculous! You know how frail Evelyn is. That could kill her!"

"And did she stop to think she might kill me when she locked me in the morgue?"

Evelyn stared at the sandbags, her face pale and her eyes filling with tears.

Nathaniel took a deep breath, shrugged off his uniform jacket, and began putting on the weights.

"Fine. If you're going to insist on this, I'll do it for her."

"Nathaniel, no! Your wound hasn't even healed!" Evelyn cried.

"I'll be fine," Nathaniel said, as though it were nothing.

Rosalie stared at him in disbelief. He was still injured, yet he was willing to put himself through this for Evelyn. Seeing how far he'd go for her was almost unbearable.

He really did love her that much.

Once he'd secured the weights, Nathaniel looked at Rosalie. He looked exhausted, but there was a warning in his eyes.

"I'll run for her. Once I'm done, you're going to leave her alone."

Rosalie said nothing. She just stared back at him coldly.

Nathaniel turned and headed for the field.

The moment his back was turned, Rosalie lunged at Evelyn, grabbed her, and yanked her forward. Then she kicked Evelyn with all her strength, sending her crashing through the thin ice covering the artificial lake behind the hospital.

Evelyn never saw it coming. She screamed as she plunged into the freezing water.

Nathaniel spun around at Evelyn's scream. The sight of her in the lake stopped him cold. Then he turned to Rosalie, unable to believe what she'd done.

"Rosalie! What the hell have you done?"

Rosalie stood at the water's edge, meeting his gaze without flinching. "She had no problem leaving me to freeze in the morgue. I figured I'd return the favor. What's wrong with that?"

Fury flashed in Nathaniel's eyes, but he didn't stop to confront Rosalie. He dove straight into the freezing lake, his elbow striking her hard as he passed.

Rosalie stumbled backward, lost her balance, and struck the back of her head against a decorative rock with a sickening thud.

Agonizing pain shot through her head. Blood streamed from the wound, staining the cold stone beneath her.

Her vision blurred, but she could still make out Nathaniel swimming frantically toward Evelyn. He pulled her into his arms, calling her name in a panic.

He never even noticed Rosalie on the shore, bleeding from her head.

Rosalie gritted her teeth and pressed a hand to the wound. Despite the pain and dizziness, she forced herself to walk away.

At the emergency room, the gash in her head required seven stitches.

As a nurse bandaged her wound, she asked with concern, "How did you get hurt so badly? Where's General Farrell?"

Rosalie kept her eyes closed and said nothing.

During her stay, she overheard nurses whispering about Nathaniel.

Evelyn had developed a fever after falling into the lake, and Nathaniel had barely left her side since. The nurses talked about how gentle and attentive he'd been, caring for her day and night.

Rosalie heard every word, but she felt nothing anymore. She was too drained even to cry.

She checked herself out of the hospital before her stitches had even been removed.

Over the next few days, she stayed home, packing her belongings a little at a time. She was preparing to leave for good.