Page 34 of Bittersweet Revenge

“No, I didn’t.”

“Yes you did!” She insisted. “You left a bottle of a weird-named white wine. Check in the kitchen.”

“There is no wine in the kitchen, Esmeralda. Just admit the truth now. Blood tests don’t lie.”

“Don’t they?” Archibald asked.

We both knew how easy it was to alter medical records. We’d done it before when the situation had needed it, but Dr. Willis had no reason to lie. He had much more to lose here than to gain. I shook my head. Archibald clearly still believed she was innocent. And I, despite everything, could only think about now was that she’d wanted to stay.

“Esmeralda…” I began, but I was interrupted by Benjamin standing behind Esmeralda.

“Excuse me for interrupting, Sirs, Madam, but Dr. Willis is here,” he announced, bowing his head.

“Send him to Miss Forbes’s room. She will be right up.”

Esmeralda glared at me. I was quite pleased by that. She hadn’t lost her spunk.

I took a step toward her, but she shook her head.

“No.” She raised her hand. “You don’t believe me.” She turned toward Archibald. “Help me, please?”

He wrapped an arm around her and kissed the top of her head. “Always,” he said before giving me a hard look.

I watched them walk away and close the door behind them. I snorted at the irony of the moment and grabbed a bottle of whiskey. I was clearly not wanted nor needed here; I might just have to go to see the only person to whom I ever mattered.

Chapter 9 - Esme

“You know you’ll have to tell me everything right?” Archie whispered as he helped me back into my room on shaky legs. “I know - I know you didn’t try to kill yourself, don’t get me wrong, but…”

I nodded. “I know, but the thing is –” I threw him a sideways glance. He looked down at me, expectantly. “You’re going to get angry with me.”

“I see...” He said with a twitch of his jaw. “Well, let’s see the doctor first and make sure you have no permanent damage before I start shouting at you. You don't mind if I stay, right?”

I could only see concern on his face and there was no way I’d deny him the reassurance that I was okay, especially since I suspected it was my actions which had caused the incident to start with.

The doctor was already waiting for me in the room when we walked in. Archie squeezed my arm before letting me go.

“Good morning, Ms. Forbes. I’m happy to see you up.”

“Thank you, Dr. Willis.”

“Why don’t you come sit here and let me give you a checkup.” He looked up at Archie. “Maybe you could go get her some food? She needs some replenishment.”

Archie crossed his arms on his chest, his face set in the stubborn scowl I’d come to know very well. “I’m not going anywhere. I’ll ring for food.”

The doctor turned toward me and I nodded my approval. I didn’t think they could have removed him anyway, even if I’d wanted them to.

“Very well then. Let's begin.” He listened to my heart, checked my stats and reflexes, shone the brightest light possible in my eyes, and asked me a series of random questions ranging from what year it was to the name of my brother, before determining that I had been extremely lucky as I’d suffered no permanent damage from the accident.

“Talking about accidents,” he said, pushing his round glasses up his nose. “I have a duty to determine if you might be a danger to yourself…” He trailed off, looking at my brother’s back as he was setting the platter of food that had just been delivered, onto my vanity.

“I didn’t try to kill myself, Dr. Willis.”

He sighed. “Miss Forbes, I ran the tests twice and the results are–”

“Correct,” I nodded. I needed to change my strategy with the man. He was obviously as suspicious as Caleb so a lie would be better than the truth here.

“This is what my brother and I were just discussing,” I said. “It makes no sense, but it seems that my future mother-in-law is using decoy pill bottles to hide her medications. I had a bad headache last night and took some of her paracetamol and some of her ibuprofen a little later, but it seems that neither was what I thought it was. We just checked the bottles now.” It was not too much of a stretch. Caleb told me what his mother had in her medicine cabinet and I was sure that their doctor knew she was a pill-popping housewife.

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