Effie Bagnold could sense Grace McCloud''s resistance to her presence, but she just smiled, saying nothing.


    Grace sat down unwillingly, perching on the edge of her chair as if ready to flee at any moment.


    Just then, footsteps echoed down the hallway. Annabel McCloud and Fenton arrived almost at the same time, followed closely by Vinson Elliott, Randell Hoffman, and a few others.


    Vinson nced at Annabel and Fenton with mock usation. "You two are so weird. I was calling after you the whole way and the more I called, the faster you walked. What''s up with that?"


    Annabel whipped around and shot Vinson a re sharp enough to cut ss. "Shut it."


    Vinson shrank back a little. Annabel was older than him, and she could be fierce and overbearing when she wanted to be-he''d learned long ago that he couldn''t win a fight with her, so it was best to retreat when necessary.


    But that didn''t mean he couldn''t mutter under his breath. "Fine, I won''t mention how you and Fenton got out of the same cab together."


    Annabel looked at him, exasperated. If looks could kill, Vinson would have died a thousand deaths right there.


    Grace''s eyes narrowed as she stared at Annabel and Fenton. "Wait a second, Vinson. Did you just say my sister and oh, sorry, ex-brother-inw-got out of a cab together?"


    Fenton met Grace''s look,pletely unbothered. "Annabel''s car got in a little ident. Some guy''s car hit hers."


    "You were in a car ident? Are you okay?" Lyman Etheridge turned to Annabel with concern.


    Annabel waved him off. "It''s fine. Just a scratch. The other guy insisted on calling the police, so I had to let my assistant deal with it."


    When she said "the other guy," she shot Fenton a re that could have bored holes right through him.


    Vinson''s eyes went wide. He pped a hand over his mouth, as if he''d just discovered some scandalous secret. "Wait, you two..."


    Fenton shrugged. "Yeah, I was the unlucky one."


    "Unlucky? Please, I''m the one with all the bad luck. I should''ve checked my horoscope before leaving the house. Every time I run into you, something always goes wrong!" Annabel huffed, jaw clenched.


    "I swear, I''m the one who needs luck. Running into you and your ''incident''-I need to go wash my eyes out." Annabel spat out the words, exasperated.


    Fenton gave her a look. "Annabel, I already told you, that was my assistant. She identally knocked over a trinket in my car and bent down to pick it up—"


    "Oh,e on. That''s themest excuse I''ve ever heard. Do you really think anyone''s going to believe that?"


    Vinson raised his hand. "I believe it."


    Annabel''s teeth ground audibly. She was itching for a fight, desperate to bite someone just to get the frustration out.


    Grace spoke up, voice full of


    mischief. "Sis, why do you care so


    much about your ex-husband''s business? Whatever he gets up to, it''s none of your concern-you''re divorced, remember?"


    Annabel shot Grace a re that was positively murderous.


    At this point, Grace met Annabel''s eyes, utterly unfazed-in fact, she looked almost defiant, like she was daring Annabel to lose her cool in front of everyone.


    Annabel wanted to scream, but she held it in. She knew exactly what Grace was trying to do. If she lost control now, everyone would see right through her.


    Just then, the doors to the operating room swung open and y was wheeled


    out.


    The arguing stopped instantly as everyone hurried over.


    Effie, not knowing y, hung back and only then noticed that Grace was thest to stand. She watched as Grace nced at y, and for just a split second, seemed almost... disappointed to see him alive and welf. Or had Effie imagined it?


    Effie''s curiosity about Grace only deepened. What sort of woman was this? Why


    did she give off the impression that she didn''t love her own child—or her husband?