Chapter 189
Aspen stepped out of the room and threw her hands over her mouth, eyes stretched wide with terror.
“Help! Help!” she screamed. “She just collapsed!”
Nurses rushed past her with a crash cart, faces grim, pushing into the room and calling out orders.
Elouise ran over, phone still in her hand. “What happened?”
“I don’t know!” Aspen sobbed, burying her face in Elouise’s shoulder. “We were just talking nicely, and she grabbed her chest! It was awful!”
Nurse Betty was pushing the cart. As she ran past, she shot a glance at Aspen. She had been at the nurses’ station the whole time, positioned behind the glass partition. She had not been able to hear the words, but she had seen the blonde girl lean in close — seen the cruel set of her expression, seen the old woman’s sudden, violent distress spike on the monitor. And just before the screaming started, just as Aspen stepped out of the room, Nurse Betty had seen the smirk.
She narrowed her eyes.
At the Collins penthouse, Jocelyn was curled in an armchair reading. The apartment was quiet for once. Aaden was napping.
The elevator opened. Gaston walked in, back early from Chicago.
𝖲𝘢𝘃e 𝗒𝗼u𝗿 𝘧𝗮𝗏𝗼ri𝗍𝖾 ո𝗈v𝘦𝗅s 𝗈𝘯 𝗴a𝘭𝘯o𝘷e𝘭s.𝖼o𝗆
“You’re back?” Jocelyn smiled and set her book down. She felt a wave of genuine relief at the sight of him.
“Couldn’t stay away,” he said, dropping his bag. He looked tired, but his eyes warmed when they found her.
Her phone rang. She answered. “Hello?”
The color left her face. The book slipped from her fingers and hit the floor.
“Grandma?” she stammered. “Which hospital?”
Gaston was at her side in an instant, his hand gripping her arm to steady her. “What is it?”
“Heart attack,” she whispered, looking up at him with terrified eyes. “Massive. They’re taking her to Mt. Sinai.”
“Let’s go.” He grabbed his keys. He did not call for a driver. He took her hand and pulled her toward the door.
The hospital waiting room was a purgatory of fluorescent lights and humming vending machines.
Jocelyn and Gaston pushed through the entrance. Elouise and Aspen were seated in the corner, Aspen dabbing at her eyes with a folded tissue.
Jocelyn ignored them. She found the doctor.
“She’s in a coma,” the doctor said gravely. “We stabilized her, but her heart is very weak. It’s touch and go.”
Jocelyn’s legs gave out. She leaned into the wall, and Gaston caught her, his arm coming around her waist.
He looked over at Elouise. His gaze was lethal. “What happened?”
“It was natural causes,” Elouise said defensively, rising from her seat. “She’s old, Gaston. Her heart gave out.”
Nurse Betty came through the ICU doors. She recognized Jocelyn from previous visits — the devoted granddaughter who always brought flowers. She beckoned her over. “Mrs. Collins? A word?”
Jocelyn stepped away from Gaston. “Yes?”
Nurse Betty glanced around to confirm no one was close enough to listen, then leaned in.
.