Chapter 95 She Resigned
ADRIANA
I wanted to go after them but I couldn’t.
I just knew that I couldn’t. Hazel went after him though and I just stayed there wondering what the hell I was going to do.
Why would I make chocolate cake when I knew he was allergic to it?
I kept thinking back to that day and wondering if I truly told Betty about it and I was sure I did. I would never try to put his life at risk.
Tears rolled down my eyes and I wondered if he was going to be okay. I left the room and went to the kitchen, to look for Betty so she would tell me why in the world she would make a mistake like this when I’d told her not to.
I didn’t find her so I asked one of the maids.
“Betty? She resigned this morning.”
“Resigned? What do you mean by ‘resigned’?”
Of course, I knew what resigned meant but right now, my brain wasn’t comprehending anything.
“I mean, she quit.”
“Wait, but why? I mean, I just saw her this morning.”
She shrugged.
“I don’t know. But I knew she was in a hurry. She didn’t even finish clearing out her room and she just left.”
This wasn’t making any sense.
“Did she say why? Maybe because of her father or something.”
She stopped what she was doing and looked at me.
“Her father? What are you talking about?”
“She said her father died a while ago. Didn’t he?”
The maids basically laughed in my face.
“Betty never knew her parents. She was raised by the church.”
What?
No, I was sure that she had said her father died. That conversation was still fresh in my head. She’d surely said her father died.
“Did she tell you her father died?”
I nodded.
“Well, that’s not possible. Even if she were calling the priest her father, he’s still very much alive. I saw him this morning. So I don’t know what she was talking about.”
I’d been played like a fool.
I couldn’t believe my ears. I’d thought my days of having enemies in the same house had ended with Lisa and my father but no, I’d just got started.
But why would she lie to me?
Why would she do this? I’d been nothing but nice to her and I was sure that I’d never had any altercations with her.
Her recent behavior toward me came flooding back into my mind and I wondered what it was about. If she hadn’t lost her father, then why was she looking at me like that?
What did I do to her?
And why did she resign after dropping the cake?
“Is this about the cake? She said she was going to give it to you herself.”
I looked at her.
“Didn’t she want to give it to me?”
“No, she asked me to but I told her I was busy. She would have given it to the other maids but they’re too nosy. Most of the maids would want to know what was inside but I didn’t care.”
I left the kitchen and went back to Leo’s room. How could this happen?
Today was supposed to be a good and happy day. As I recalled Elijah’s face when he walked in and assessed the situation in a matter of seconds, I knew that he wasn’t going to take it lightly.
I just hoped that Leo was going to be okay. I really didn’t want anything to happen to him because of me. I would never be able to forgive myself.
With tears in my eyes, I started bringing down all the decorations and packed everything up. I really didn’t mean for this to happen.
I kept going to the window to check if they had returned.
Why would Betty do a thing like that knowing that I’d told her not to make a chocolate cake?
I should have just handled this on my own.
When I heard the car crunching the gravel, my heart started beating quickly and I knew they’d returned.
When I saw only Elijah and Hazel in the car with no Leo, my heart dropped.
Should I go down to meet them?
Should I ask what happened?
No, Elijah would be very angry right now. So I just waited. I could hear voices downstairs but I couldn’t hear what they were saying.
Screw it, I should just go downstairs. But the door suddenly opened and Elijah walked in.
“Elijah, I’m so sorry—”
“Save it. I don’t want to hear anything you have to say. You have an hour. Pack every damn thing that you have, everything that pertains to you and leave my house and leave my pack. I never want to see you again.”
The decoration I was holding slipped out of my hand. Surely, he didn’t mean that.
“Elijah, I didn’t mean to—”
“Because of you, he’s in the hospital again! Because of you, my son is in the hospital! Because of you, he will never be able to speak again! All because of you! And I brought you into my house so I’m going to take you out. Get out.”
Leo would never be able to talk again?
What have I done?
I’d ruined everything. Everything that Elijah had been trying to get for all these years, I’d ruined it. I heard the slamming of his door and I knew that he had meant what he said.
He never wanted to see me again.
I’d ruined Leo’s life. I’d taken away his chances of ever speaking. There was no one else to blame. I should have made that cake myself.
But I’d been careless and I’d given it to someone who couldn’t care less about him.
I fell to the ground and the tears flowed out.
Hazel came to kneel beside me and pulled me closer to her chest.
“It’s okay. It’s going to be okay.”
But it wasn’t. Everything was ruined.