Chapter 70
I gritted my teeth.
Darwin stared at me coldly. “Stop pretending, Anna. I’ve already confessed everything. We forced Beatrice into a medical accident so you could swoop in and be the Cordova family’s savior. The rewards would be our wedding fund–you forgot?“”
“Who told you that?” I spat.\
I tried to rise, but the bodyguards held me down.
Darwin laughed, sarcastically. “You’re still playing innocent. I planned to take this secret to the grave–but you betrayed me!” “You fell for Mr. Cordova, turned down his kindness, abandoned me, and now you expect to use him to kill me? My dear, I won’t let you succeed.”
I didn’t expect him to invent such an enormous lie.
“What proof do you have?” I demanded.
Darwin looked to Augustus and slid a scrap of paper toward him.
“Mr. Cordova, you can test your sister for this compound. It doesn’t kill outright–but it never fully heals. Dr. Humphrey used a special drug to tie herself to the Cordova family. Mr. Cordova, if I’m killed, and your sister relapses again, that will be the time Annalise returns to power.”
“Darwin!” I cried.
Before I could say more, Augustus‘ men had already run checks. The look he turned on me was poisoned and sudden.
“Mr. Cordova! The dosage was controlled! She nearly died twice and needed strong stimulation. I managed the dose–there was nothing wrong!” I explained anxiously.
Darwin pressed on, pouring oil on a fire. “I’ve never read such a use in any medical textbook.”
“Exceptional situations require exceptional measures. If I’d followed textbooks, I couldn’t have saved so many lives!” I cried. Augustus replied with a slow, hollow laugh that made his eyes lose reason.
“Of course… no wonder Carmella didn’t recover for so long. It was you, you wretched woman!” His hand shot out and clamped around my throat, his face red with fury.”
“What are you to me, to think I could ever love you? Do you know what Carmella means to me?” he snarled.
I could barely breathe. My nails tore at his hand until they bled.
“I… didn’t…” I choked.@
“Mr. Cordova,” Darwin interjected, voice silk over steel, “your sister has been poisoned deeply. Right now, only Dr. Ingram can save her.”
Augustus‘ eyes were rimmed in red as he looked at Darwin.”
“That woman who did a one–handed delivery?” he said.
“Mr. Cordova, Beatrice only did it because we pressured her. She’s a returned PhD–she’s not as incompetent as you think.” Darwin urged.
Cordova released his hold on me and stared at my bruised, gasping face. He ordered his men to drag me to Carmella’s ward.\ Inside, Beatrice was already forcing medicine into Carmella’s mouth.
“No!” I shouted &
Augustus grabbed my arm.
“What are you doing?” he demanded.
1 clutched his sleeve desperately. “Mr. Cordova, Carmella is fragile–such powerful medicine will burn out her life force. It will only lead to death!“%
With a brutal shove, I was thrown to the floor. Augustus‘ voice trembled with fury and hurt. “After all that’s happened, you still dare curse her?“%
“Brother?” Carmella’s eyes brightened, a fragile flutter of life returning.
“Carmella Augustus cried.
“Brother she echoed, rubbing at herself as if trying to orient.”
“You feel better?” he asked, beseeching.%
She touched her body and smiled weakly, “I feel much better.”
Augustus wept with joy. The entire ward seemed to breathe with relief–everyone except me. I lunged forward in panic and clamped my hand on her chin, fingers at her throat.
“Spit it out! You’ll die if you swallow that!” I cried.
Lateefa Khanam is a spirited writer who finds freedom in horse riding. She cherishes her mare and the newborn foal, calling them her little happy family.
