"Mom! You know I still love her I can''t live without="


    Before Mitchell could finish, Adeline pped him, hard. Her voice was icy as she snapped, "Mitchell, you''re drunk!"


    A metallic taste flooded Mitchell''s mouth as blood trickled from his split lip.


    Suzan, standing nearby, clenched her fists so tightly her nails dug into her palms.


    Damn Mitchell! Even now, he still can''t forget Effie-that wretched woman. Then what does that make me?


    "Mom, please—I''m begging you, I really can''t live without Effie. If she''s gone, I''ll die." Mitchell''sst shred of pride crumbled as he broke down in tears, sobbing like a child.


    Adeline froze. She had never seen her son like this before.


    Could Effie really mean this much to him?


    "Enough," she said sharply. "Are you a man or not? Crying like this over a woman? Pathetic. Fine, I''ll do it."


    Mitchell lifted his tear-streaked face toward Adeline.


    She looked him over-bloodshot eyes, snot and tears running down his face- disgust flickered in her gaze.


    But in that moment, an idea came to her.


    "Go on, Mom, call her," Mitchell urged impatiently.


    Adeline shot Suzan a look.


    Suzan stepped forward, distracting Mitchell with gentle words.


    Meanwhile, Adeline picked up her phone, muttered a few words into it, then hung


    up.


    Mitchell, dazed and stumbling, barely registered what was happening.


    "All done. You can go upstairs and sleep now," Adeline ordered.


    Suzan chimed in quietly, coaxing Mitchell toward the stairs.


    But Mitchell ignored them both and lurched toward the door.


    Suzan moved to follow, but Adeline stopped her. "Don''t. You''re pregnant, remember?” Her voice was firm-she couldn''t risk anything happening to her future grandson.


    Not that Suzan minded. She found Mitchell''s devotion to Effie utterly revolting.


    “But... if Mitchell finds out you never actually made that call, what if—" Suzan looked at Adeline, worry creasing her brow.


    "Effie? That woman? I''d never lift a finger to help her. Mitchell''s just drunk-he''ll be fine once he sobers up," Adeline replied coldly.


    "Don''t overthink it," she added, trying to reassure Suzan.


    Suzan nodded obediently, though inside she was seething.


    Everyone says drunken words are the truest-and Mitchell''s drunken rambling


    tonight proved just how much Effie meant to him.


    Suzan clenched her jaw. What did Effie do to cast such a spell on him?


    ***


    By the time Mitchell stumbled into the police station, eight hours had passed since Effie''s arrest.


    He tumbled out of the car, his forehead freshly gashed and smeared with blood, which ran down into his eyes. He looked aplete mess.


    He staggered up to the front desk, slurring, “I''m a friend of Director Nichols. I''m here to take Effie home."


    Effie? The officers exchanged nces.


    Of course, they knew who Effie was-but even Director Nichols couldn''t interfere with this case.


    The Ames family had issued strict orders: no one was to get Effie out.


    Mitchell caused a scene, ranting and raving, but no one paid him any mind. In the end, they tossed him out onto the street, nothing more than a drunken fool.