Chapter 7

Elise felt like her blood had turned to ice. Her fingers were numb as she called Regina. She just wanted to ask what was going on.

On the other end of the line, Regina was holding a rag doll and leaning into Sabrina as they took selfies. When she saw the caller ID, she arched a delicate brow, a flicker of annoyance flashing in her eyes.

The phone rang for a long time. Sabrina gently reminded her, "Gina, it's your mommy calling. Aren't you going to take the call?"

Regina shook her head. "Mommy is so annoying. If I pick up, she'll just nag and ask a million questions. I don't want that!"

She declined the call, stopping the endless ringing. Then, she turned to complain to Rowan. "See, Rowan? I told you we shouldn't have unblocked Mommy's number. Look how long it took before she started blowing up our phone again. I don't know what you're so scared of."

"I'm not scared of anything! I just said Mommy might've forgotten to tell us something. You're the one who unblocked her!" Rowan sounded tough, but his expression was impatient, too.

Honestly, couldn't Elise have picked a better time to call? She'd totally wrecked the vibe.

Regina pouted. "Mommy doesn't forget stuff. Once she starts talking, she never stops. It's so annoying."

Back when they were still in Ravenport, Elise called them at fixed times twice a day. Once was at breakfast, and once was at dinner. She would carefully fuss over what they ate, what they wore, and when they slept.

At first, when they'd just left her, they'd still depended on those calls and always answered on time. But as they settled into their own social circles and got used to having Sabrina around, they grew increasingly reluctant.

Two calls a day became one; their calls went from long conversations to under ten minutes before the kids would grab any excuse to end the call. And in the last couple of days, the twins had simply blocked her number.

Elise's phone screen went dark in her hand, and the light in her heart faded with it. What was she even hoping for anymore?

Suddenly, she started coughing violently, hacking so hard that she spat up specks of blood.

The driver got so scared that he slammed on the gas and rushed her straight to the nearest hospital.

…

At the marital home, when Regina finally finished taking photos with Sabrina, Rowan tugged at the hem of his pajama top, looking awkward and shy. "Gina, help me take one, too."

When Elise had first made these pajamas, he'd actually really liked them. But the teddy bears on them were totally not a "boy thing", so he'd deliberately said they were childish. He never expected that, thanks to Sabrina, he would get to wear them before he grew too tall for them.

And Sabrina had even complimented him. "You're really cute like this when you're not busy being a little hero, Ro."

His cheeks burned. "If you like them, I can wear them every day."

The new pajamas weren't just cute. They were so soft that it felt like being wrapped in a cloud. Honestly, when Elise wasn't being so naggy, she could make pretty decent clothes. He supposed he could at least take a picture and send it to her.

"Huh? Why didn't you say so earlier, Rowan? Sabrina just went to get some milk." Regina shot him a chiding look.

Rowan opened his mouth, wanting to explain that she'd misunderstood. He hadn't wanted a photo with Sabrina—they already had a ton of those. He'd wanted a picture to send to Elise…

"Sweethearts, what are you two whispering about?" Sabrina's gentle voice rang out behind them.

For some reason, guilt pricked at Rowan. He spun around too fast and bumped straight into her.

Sabrina gasped. The warm milk in her hand spilled right across the front of his pajamas. The cute little teddy bears were instantly soaked and stained.

Regina yelped too and immediately scolded him. "Rowan, how could you be so careless and bump into Sabrina? Say you're sorry!"

Rowan stared, stunned, at his drenched pajamas. He felt wronged and upset, but he still ducked his head and apologized, "I'm sorry, Sabrina."

Noticing that he looked more sad than guilty, a sharp glint flashed through Sabrina's eyes. She knew it—he cared more about the pajamas than about bumping into her.

Soon, however, she reached out and ruffled his hair, keeping her voice gentle. "I should be the one apologizing, Ro. I startled you by suddenly speaking up, didn't I?"

He shook his head in surprise. "No, it was my fault. I was careless."

Her smile stayed soft as she deliberately took the blame. "I walked in without knocking. I'm sorry, Ro. Tell you what—I'll buy you the newest limited-edition superhero pajamas as an apology, okay?"

His eyes lit up. "Really?"

Back at his preschool in Ravenport, pretty much every boy in his class had something with superheroes on it. But Elise always said the dyes and fabric from that brand were full of bacteria and chemicals, and she wouldn't buy them or let him wear them.

Now, it seemed like that had just been an excuse. Sabrina was an adult, too, and she was fine with buying them!

Sabrina smiled and pinched his nose. "Of course. When have I ever lied to you? Now, be good and change out of those wet pajamas. Throw them in the trash. You don't want to catch a cold."

Rowan happily ran off to change. As he stood there with the stained pajamas in his hands, he hesitated. But remembering what Sabrina had said, he finally tossed them into the trash can. As if he would miss such childish clothes!

Meanwhile, in the study, Calvin had just gotten his old phone back from repairs. There was a confidential company file on it that hadn't been copied over before, so he'd had Evan send it out to be fixed.

He slipped his SIM card in, but some of his messages were missing. His chat with Elise was still frozen on that day in Ravenport. She had texted, "Landing in Ravenport today. Arrival at 10:00 pm."

That same day, Sabrina had secured a luxury endorsement for Lucas, a fashion brand. Steele Group happened to be negotiating a ten-year major collaboration with that brand, so they'd met again at the event that night. He hadn't seen Elise's message.

Calvin pursed his lips and tugged his tie loose. Was she really going to throw a tantrum with him over something like this?

He refreshed the screen, and three missed calls from earlier popped up. They were all from Elise and had been made about an hour ago.

He tamped down the impatience and called her back. Just as the call connected, two panicked voices sounded at the door.

…

Elise's phone rang at Halston Central Hospital.

"Hello? Is this Ms. Stanton's husband? This is Halston Central Hospital. Your number is listed as the emergency contact. Your wife is in critical condition, and we need you to—"

The young nurse spoke for a while before realizing there was no sound from the other end. Glancing at the screen, she saw the phone had died and shut off.

…

"Daddy, something bad happened! Something's wrong with Sabrina!"

"Sabrina's going to die! Daddy, hurry up and save her!"

Rowan and Regina came running into the study, looking frantic.

"What happened?" Calvin's eyes narrowed as he shot to his feet and strode toward the bedroom.

Sabrina lay on the bed, her skin bright red, angry hives blooming all over her exposed arms and neck. Her eyes were full of tears, and even speaking seemed to be a struggle for her. "Calvin, am I… am I going to die?"

Rowan's voice trembled. "Sabrina suddenly got itchy all over, and huge red welts came up when she scratched everywhere the pajamas touched her skin!"

These were the pajamas Elise had made. Did that mean she'd tried to hurt Sabrina? No, that wasn't possible. Elise didn't even know Sabrina would wear her pajamas.

He rejected that thought, but Regina blurted it out anyway. "Mommy did this on purpose. She wanted to hurt Sabrina!"

Calvin's expression darkened.

Not long ago, Sabrina had realized the suitcase with all her own pajamas had been left behind in Ravenport, so she'd borrowed the set Elise left there. When the twins saw her in them, they whined that they wanted to wear matching sets too and even dragged him into it.

It was just pajamas, so he hadn't thought much of it. But now, somehow, this happened.

Calvin called Elise, his expression stormy. All he got was a cold, automated message that her phone was powered off. His handsome features tightened with anger as he clutched the phone tightly.

Had she blocked his number? He'd clearly spoiled her rotten!

Just then, Sabrina suddenly started gasping for air. The twins threw themselves at her, looking panicked.

Calvin strode over and scooped her up into his arms. "This is Elise's fault. I'll make it up to you."