Chapter 11

“Let go!” Sienna recoiled sharply as her skin brushed against Josiah’s, pulling away with all her might.

“Sienna, did you just push me away?” Josiah stared at his arm, disbelief flickering in his eyes.

Sienna avoided his gaze, mumbling, “I can walk by myself. Just follow you.”

“What?” Josiah raised an eyebrow, smirking coldly. “You don’t want me to touch you?”

He stepped forward, his jaw tight. “You think I want to touch you? If you weren’t so wishy-washy, would I have even grabbed your arm? I don’t have a problem touching you; it looks like you do.”

Sienna looked down, her lashes fluttering, but she remained silent.

Josiah scoffed, a cold laugh escaping him. He turned and walked away. “Keep up.”

“Okay,” Sienna nodded, secretly relieved. Her reaction had been excessive, but she couldn’t help it. His touch felt like a snake slithering on her skin, making her feel scared and queasy.

Josiah walked ahead, the distance between them widening. He glanced back, clearly annoyed. “Can you move a little faster?”

“Alright,” Sienna nodded and began to jog.

Josiah halted, waiting for her, squinting as he pondered. “Sienna actually pushed me away. She used to be all over me, but now… She’s changed after those years overseas. That’s good, exactly what I wanted. It seems sending her away was the right call. If she had been this mature back then, I might have been able to see her as a little sister—just like Howard treated her.”

They walked in single file, and as they neared the garage, Josiah’s phone rang. He stopped to take the call. “Hello, Yvette.”

Sienna paused and stepped aside to give him space.

She couldn’t hear Yvette’s words, but Josiah’s expression turned serious. He replied urgently, “Stay there, don’t move. I’m coming right away.”

He hung up and looked back at Sienna. “Wait for me here.” Then he dashed off.

Sienna hesitated, wanting to tell him she didn’t need a ride and he should go deal with Yvette. But since he’d asked her to wait, she decided to do so. His temper seemed worse than four years ago, she thought.

Josiah rushed to the restroom. He’d assumed Yvette had left with her assistant, Janet, but to his surprise, she was still there.

“Josiah!” Yvette called out, sitting on a bench outside the restroom with Janet. She waved and smiled as he approached.

Josiah strode over, concern etched on his face. “How are you? How did you hurt your foot?”

“I just twisted it a bit, not a big deal. I might’ve had one too many drinks tonight,” Yvette said with a smile. “I came out of the stall, didn’t see the stairs clearly, and missed a step.”

Janet interjected, “How can you say it’s nothing? You’re not being honest with Mr. Flynn. Your ankle is all swollen.” She bent down and lifted the hem of Yvette’s dress. “Mr. Flynn, take a look.”

Josiah noticed the swelling on Yvette’s left ankle and frowned, his expression darkening. “You were hiding this from me?”

“It’s my fault,” Yvette replied, managing a slight smile. “I just didn’t want you to worry.”

“With you like this, I’m even more worried,” Josiah said. Hesitantly, he asked, “Are you able to walk at all?”

“No way,” Janet quickly answered. “She tried to take a few steps, but it hurt too much. That’s why I called you.”

Josiah nodded, still frowning. “We need to get to the hospital.” He bent down and picked Yvette up, instructing Janet, “Go get the car.”

“Sure thing, Mr. Flynn,” Janet replied and dashed away.

Yvette leaned against Josiah’s chest, pursing her lips. “Sorry for the trouble again.”

“What are you saying?” Josiah frowned, annoyed. “Taking care of you is my responsibility.”

“Got it,” Yvette smiled gently and lowered her head.

Sienna glanced at her phone. Twenty minutes had passed, and Josiah still hadn’t returned. She smiled and shook her head, confident he wasn’t coming back. He’d stood her up, but that was par for the course. She’d grown accustomed to it.

Putting her phone away, Sienna decided to head home. There were no buses running this late, and a cab was out of her budget, but she didn’t mind; she’d walk.

Josiah took Yvette to the hospital. The doctor determined her ankle was sprained, nothing serious. A cast and rest would suffice; hospitalization wasn’t necessary. Afterward, he drove her back to the Flynn residence.

Yvette and Howard weren’t officially married, but having been pregnant with his child (though she’d lost it), the Flynn family had embraced her as one of their own, treating her like Howard’s wife. For the past few years, she’d lived in the Flynn residence, taking over household chores and errands as Miranda was aging.

“Get some rest,” Josiah said, helping Yvette into her room and onto the bed. “Good night.”

Yvette nodded with a smile. After a moment, she called out, “Are you heading back to Silver Beach?” Before Josiah could respond, she added with a hint of sadness, “It’s the right thing to do. Sienna’s back, and you should go be with her. If you stay out all night again, she’ll probably start making a fuss.”

Josiah scoffed. “What could she possibly fuss about? She’s already signed the divorce agreement, and in no time we’ll—” Suddenly, he froze, a chilling realization dawning on him—he’d left Sienna at South Jeiacrity Nursing Home.

Frustrated, Josiah shut his eyes before glancing at his watch. Two hours had passed, and he figured she couldn’t be naive enough to still be waiting.

He still felt a nagging concern for Sienna. “Yvette, I gotta go,” he said quickly. “Take it easy, and get some sleep, alright?”

“Hey, Josiah,” Yvette called after him, but he was already gone. She stared at the closed door, her heart racing. Had he just said Sienna had signed the divorce agreement? After four long years, were they finally getting divorced? Yvette bit her lip, lost in thought.

Josiah dashed down the stairs and quickly found Sienna’s number. But when he called, he couldn’t reach her—her phone was off. He frowned, but wasn’t ready to give up. He tried repeatedly, but each attempt yielded the same disappointing result.