Chapter 517
Boyd looked a little embarrassed, clearly struggling to find the right words. But Ivy quickly jumped in, “I get what you mean. If there’s evidence, all the better—it’ll be even harder for them to worm their way out of this. You go ahead, keep in touch.”
“Will do.”
She hung up, her knuckles white as she clenched her fists in anger. “Emma is seriously deranged. And Sheridan —those two really are thick as thieves!”
Jamison let out a cold laugh. “I always suspected they were in cahoots. That’s why Emma deliberately distanced herself from the Windsor family.”
Ivy took a deep breath, trying to tamp down her fury. In hindsight, just shaving Emma’s head and making her drink a few mouthfuls of toilet water almost felt too lenient.
Jamison tried to offer a different perspective. “Her twisted tastes have only added more damning evidence to their crimes. She brought this on herself.”
“Yeah. I just hope this time we can finally see her behind bars.”
Nearly forty minutes later, Katrina ’s aunt rushed into the hospital. When she learned what had happened to her niece that night, she broke down in tears, wracked with regret. “It’s all my fault. I lost my temper and went to confront Waller this afternoon. I couldn’t control myself and slapped that bastard. He called the police and demanded they arrest me. Katrina only went to plead with Waller so he’d drop the charges and get me out. That son of a bitch was out drinking with some men tonight and made Katrina stay to entertain them…”
Everything suddenly clicked for Ivy.
“After Katrina agreed to pour drinks for them, Waller agreed to settle things and let me go. Otherwise, I’d have been locked up for five days… It’s all my fault. I was reckless and fell right into Waller’s trap!” Her aunt was sobbing, blaming herself over and over, even slapping her own cheeks in shame.
Ivy gently stepped in to comfort her, trying to stop her.
Just then, the doctor walked out, casting a hush over the room.
After speaking with the doctor, Jamison came over to Ivy and Katrina’s aunt. “She’ll need to stay in the hospital for observation for another day after the stomach pump. If there aren’t any complications, she can be discharged the day after tomorrow. Don’t worry, she’s going to be fine.”
Ivy asked softly, “And… the drugs? Will there be any long-term effects?”
“Most of the alcohol was vomited up, and the drugs weren’t absorbed, thanks to the stomach pump. We’ve cleared out almost everything. She should make a full recovery.”
Ivy nodded, finally able to breathe again. She couldn’t help but recall the drive to the hospital, when Katrina had nearly stripped Mr. Wilson ’s jacket off—symptoms that, mercifully, were a result of the drugs being expelled through vomiting. If she hadn’t thrown up, the side effects could have been far worse. Ivy didn’t even want to imagine it.
A disaster, narrowly averted—silver linings in the midst of misfortune.
Katrina’s aunt, realizing they were just friends of her niece and seeing how late it was, thanked them earnestly. “Miss Windsor, since Katrina is safe now, why don’t you two go home? I really can’t thank you enough for tonight. I’ll stay and look after her.”
Ivy still felt uneasy, but considering they were at Jamison’s hospital and the staff was well-prepared, there was no real reason to stay. So she agreed.
“All right, I’ll come by tomorrow to check on her. If you need anything during the night, just call the nurses. We’ve already let them know what to watch out for.”
“Thank you—thank you so much!”
Soon, Katrina was settled into a private room and everything was arranged. Seeing her best friend sleeping soundly at last, Ivy finally relaxed and left with Jamison.
It was well past midnight by the time they got home. After a night like this, neither of them was in any mood for romance. They simply clung to each other, lost in thought.
Jamison knew Ivy was still blaming herself. He pressed a gentle kiss to her cheek. “Try not to dwell on it, love. Let’s get some sleep.”
Curled in his arms, Ivy looked up, her beautiful eyes clouded with confusion. Out of the blue, she asked, “Why do you think Naylor only ever dates, but never settles down?”
Jamison looked startled, glancing down at her. “Where did that come from?”
Ivy said thoughtfully, “After spending so much time with him tonight, I realized he’s basically every woman’s dream—young, handsome, wealthy, successful, from a good family, gentle, considerate, chivalrous, responsible… And you said yourself, he’s generous with women.” She kept singing Naylor’s praises, completely missing the way Jamison’s expression darkened with jealousy.
“Honestly, if you put the two of you side by side, he’s definitely more popular with women. Yet somehow you found a wife and he can’t seem to find someone to marry?” She finished, looking up at him, puzzled.
Jamison gritted his teeth, his next words dripping with jealousy. “What, are you regretting marrying me? Do you wish you’d ended up with someone like Naylor?” Ivy scrambled to explain, only just realizing how annoyed he looked. “No, that’s not what I meant!” She sat up, propping herself on her elbow, and looked him squarely in the face. “I’m not pining for someone else. It’s just—watching how he treated women tonight, I realized he’s genuinely a decent guy. Remember how I told you, I wished Katrina could find a good man someday, someone she could rely on and stand shoulder to shoulder with?”
Jamison caught on, his surprise evident. “You think Naylor would be a good match for her?”