<b>Chapter </b>56


    She didn’t know how long she’d been asleep when the insistent buzz of her phone roused her.


    The light was blinding. Shielding her eyes with one hand, she fumbled for her phone with the other and answered, her voice thick with sleep. “Hello?”


    “Elissa, why aren’t you home yet?”


    Tanya Foster sounded frantic.


    She’de home after workingte–it was already three in the morning–only to find that Elissa still wasn’t back. Anxiety gnawed at her, the fear that something might have happened at the old house pressing in.


    Rubbing her eyes, Elissa slowly adjusted to the harsh light and pushed herself up from the couch, her thoughts drifting back into focus. “I’m fine,” she said. “I was just waiting for Frank to finish a meeting at Atwater Group.”


    “What kind of meeting goes until three in the morning?”


    “No idea,” Elissa murmured.


    It was sote that the central heating had already shut off for the night.


    A shiver ran through her as she sniffled. “I’ll go check the conference room. Don’t worry–just get some sleep.”


    She hung up, then wrapped herself in the down jacket she’d draped over the back of the couch.


    Her legs were still numb from sleep as she stood, so she moved slowly, making her way out into the pitch–ck corridor. The once brightly lit hallways and conference rooms were now deserted, not a soul in sight.


    Where is everyone?


    She blinked, still dazed.


    <b>1/4 </b>


    12.15


    A sound echoed from the elevator bay–a young woman, probably just out of college, dropped something and hurried into the conference room. When she came out, the light spilling from the CEO’s office finally illuminated Elissa.


    “Oh! You’re still here?”


    The girl froze for a moment, then scrambled to exin. “Sorry, I thought everyone had left, so I turned off all the lights in the hallway.”


    “Do you want me to walk you downstairs?”


    Elissa asked, “The meeting’s over?”


    “Yeah, just finished a little while ago.”


    The girl seemed to remember something. “But Mr. Atwater got a call a little after nine and rushed out. I guess he left in a hurry and forgot to tell you.”


    Elissa stood there, stunned.


    Suddenly, it felt like her feet were back on solid ground.


    The cake, the fact that he’d picked her up tonight–none of it felt real, more like a fleeting dream.


    But leaving her stranded in the office in the middle of the night–that was real. That was exactly the sort of thing Frank would do.


    It fit his style,perfectly.


    He never stopped to think that she might feel hurt.


    But then, no one ever cared about how she felt. She’d learned long ago to act like nothing bothered her.


    It’s fine.


    They were divorced, after all.


    She steadied herself, finally finding her voice. “You should get home–it’ste. Take care.”


    211


    12:15


    He’d left at nine.


    It was after three in the morning now. Six hours had passed, and he hadn’t given her a second thought.


    Forget exining—she was lucky if he even remembered she existed.


    But that wasn’t the most absurd part.


    Two dayster, while Elissa was at the clinic seeing patients, her phone rang. It was Edna.


    “Mrs. Frank, do you have time toe by today?”


    “What’s going on?”


    Elissa assumed the divorce papers were ready and they wanted her to pick them up.


    Edna hesitated. “Hickey had a high fever a couple of nights ago, and he’s been listless with no appetite ever since. The young master asked if you could write a prescription or rmend some remedies to help him


    recover.”


    Elissaughed in disbelief, walking over to the window. “You overheard my conversation with Mrs. Atwater the other day, didn’t you?”


    The truth was, she had nothing to do with the Atwater family anymore–not even the slightest connection.


    Edna sounded ufortable. “I did hear, but the young master asked me


    to-


    “So tell him the truth.”


    “But, ma’am… you promised Mrs. Atwater,”


    “I promised not to tell Frank about the divorce,” Elissa replied, her tone t and even, “but I never agreed to look after the other woman’s child. Isn’t Marcia trained in traditional medicine too? Ask her for a remedy.”


    With that, she hung up.


    <b>3/4 </b>


    12.15


    Once her emotions settled, Elissa returned to her desk and looked at her patient. “Sorry for the interruption, Mrs. Garrett. Let’s continue…”


    “No rush at all,” Janice replied, her eyes bright as she grabbed Elissa’s


    hand, a delighted grin on her face. “Dr. Elissa, are you really single?”