Chapter 11
MBY
Chapter 11
Susan’s eyes fixed on Joanna. “Your men loved your deeply. She wouldn’t have left without saying goodbye, not even if the was in a moment of madness. I was there, outside the hospital room, when someone removed her oxygen tubs *
Joanna’s frayed nerves, pushed to the brink by a night of turmoil, threatened to broak.
She gripped Susan’s shoulders, her voice sharps with accusation. “Susan, do you have a heart at all? My mom was your aunt, and she was nothing but kind to you. How could you stand by and watch her be murdered without lifting a finger?”
“Joanna, you’re hurting me,” Susan whimpered, her face twisted in discomfort.
“Joanna, what the hell are you doing?” Norbert’s voice cut through the tension as he forcefully pulled Joanna away and she stumbled to the floor Norbert, with his bloodshot eyes and haggard expression, looked like he’d had just as rough a night as Joanna.
“Norbert, I’ve been trying to tell Joanna that you were in the bathroom all night, riding out the effects until they passed, but she won’t buy it.” Susan said, rubbing her throat as she coughed.
With a gentle hand, Norbert helped Susan to her feet. “Please, Norbert, tell her I’m not lying,” Susan pleaded, her delicate frame leaning on him for
support.
Susan had deliberately provoked Joanna, driven by her own frustration. Last night, she’d been sure she would finally become Norbert’s woman. But at the critical moment, he’d pushed her away and locked himself in the bathroom
What added to Susan’s anger was the fact that, as she listened in from outside the door, she distinctly heard Norbert call out Joanna’s name.
Norbert’s face was clouded, his voice rough. “Let her think what she wants. It’s not important,” he muttered, his gaze drifting to where Joanna sat on the floor, hér eyes vacant. Seeing her like that, he felt a pang in his chest.
Susan stepped closer, her hand outstretched. “Joanna, don’t stay on the floor. Let me help you up,” she offered softly.
Joanna swatted Susan’s hand away and fixed her gaze on Norbert. “You slept with her; don’t you feel dirty?”
Susan’s eyes welled up with tears. “Norbert, you know I’m not dirty”
Norbert’s jaw lightened, a flicker of anger in his eyes as he stared down at Joanna. “You’re the one who pushed Susan into marrying that jerk. And let’s not forget your own sordid affairs. You’re the one who’s dirty, through and through
Usually, Joanna would take his jabs in silence, but this time she met his gaze head–on, a sarcastic bite to her words. “Norbert, must you be so blind? You keep praising Susan for her supposed sacrifice. Have you even bothered to check if that’s true?”
At that, Norbert faltered, his confidence wavering. Beside him, Susan’s face paled dramatically, her eyes wide with panic,
Joanna’s hands gripped the floor, her voice flat as she met Norbert’s gaze with a lifeless stare:
“For five years, you’ve thrown accusations at me without a shred of evidence. Have you ever stopped to think what you’d do if it wasn’t Susan who saved you? Norbert, are you brave enough to look into this?” she challenged.
ut on her skin as doubts crept in,
Susan watched the exchange with a racing heart, a cold sweat breaking out on
‘Could Joanna be telling the truth? Did she really have Norbert back then?‘ she thought, her mind whirling. “But Norbert was accused of a business crime and Joanna was just a teenager. How could she have possibly cleared his name?
Norbert’s eyes dropped to meet Jeanna’s as she continued, “So, Mr. Wesley, you’re bold enough to strike back at those who set you up, but too cowardly to dig into the truth about your supposed savior?”
A thought flashed through his mind. “She’s stuck to her story for five years. Maybe there is something to look into.”
Chapter 11
“Enough,” he said, cutting off further argument. “Joanna, you’re right. You’re the one who sped Norbert.” At that, Susan spun away from them, her voice catching in her throat. “Norbert, she’s the one who saved you, not me. Are you satisfied now?”
Norbert’s got twisted with guilt as he immediately abandoned the thought of digging deeper. He realized he’d let Joanna’s accusations cloud his judgment, blinding him to Susan’s pain. Digging into the past would only cast doubt on Susan, causing her mone hurt
When I was behind bars, Joanna was with another man, even had a kid. Her saving me? How could that be? It’s ridiculous, he mused to himsel
His eyes flicked between Susan’s tears and Joanna’s hardened expression. “Joanna, you’re just trying to drive a wedge between us. Norbert said, his
voice devoid of emotion “Joanna, it’s over. We need to divorce”
A shiver ran through Joanna at Norbert’s words; her nails broke against the floor, drawing blood. She let her eyelids droop, concealing the sorrow that welled in her eyes, and her voice came out as barely a whisper. “Norbert, you’ll regret this.”
“I’ll never regret anything I do to you,” Norbert replied with a sneer, moving toward Susan, who was still weeping, and began to comfort her
Joanna raised her head, catching the tender warmth in Norbert’s expression that she had never received. “You want to marry her, don’t you?” she croaked, her voice raw, though her heart felt dead inside.
A bitter smile spread across her face. “Norbert, I’m not divorcing you. As long as I don’t sign those papers, I remain Mrs. Wesley. And she, my dear cousin, stays the other woman, despised by all”
Norbert’s hands balled into fists as he spun back to face Joanna, just in time to see a teardrop escape and fall to the floor. It hit him like a physical blow, burning sensation in his chest.
Joanna was a mix of laughter and tears, but her resolve was firm, “Susan, don’t for a second think you’ll get your way, I won’t divorce him, not now, not ever, not even in death, No way.”
Susan bowed her head, her usually serene face contorting for a moment, a fleeting glimpse of resentment flashing in her eyes.
“Joanna, you’re out of your mind. This isn’t your decision to make,” Norbert declared, his voice firm as he guided Susan away.
Left alone, Joanna’s face crumpled with sorrow, and she seemed to lose herself in a daze. She was a woman driven to the brink by her fierce love for him, and he was the one who had pushed her there.
It wasn’t clear how much time had passed v
when Luna approached her. “Mom, what’s wrong?”
Joanna shook off her daze and pulled Luna close, holding her as if she were a lifeline. “Luna, I’m so glad I have you,” she whispered.
She
Luna,
knew she had to keep her wits about her; she had to be strong for her daughter Luna was her beacon of hope.
land delicate, needed her strength. So Joanna put on a brave face, acting as if everything was fine.
frail a
She helped Luna get cleaned up and have breakfast. When it was time to drop her off at preschool, she made sure Luna took her medicine.
Luna wasn’t fond of the daily medicine, often coughing at its bitter taste,
Seeing Joanna’s swollen, tear stained eyes made Luna’s heart ache. She sensed that her dad didn’t like her, and because of that, he didn’t like her mom which made her mom cry
Luna sometimes thought that maybe if she weren’t there, her dad would like her mom more.
As the light rain began to patter on the windshield on her way back from preschool, Joanna’s mind wandered, nearly causing a near miss with another
Instead of heading to the office, she made a sharp turn towards the Mayfield residence, a place she hadn’t frequented much in the five years since her marriage, save for the occasional necessity.
11:40 Sat, 31 May GU
Chapter 11
Joanna parked the car, stepping out into the drizzle without an umbrella. Her expression was nie of glenin as the approached the door
The maid, Paula White, answered the doce, her eyes widening in surprise. “Ms. Mayfield?” she said, her voice tinged with confusion “What brings you
back so early in the day?”
Is Brielle here?” Joarma asked.
Paula, still pled, gave a slow nod. “Ms. Burnham? Yes, she’s inside.”“”
Joanna strode through the living room, bypassing the familiar furniture, and headed straight for the stairs, making a beeline for Belle’s room. With a firm push, she opened the door without hesitation.
Brielle, Joanna’s stepsister and only three months her junior, was at her vanity, carefully applying lipstick. She was a vision of charm and grace
Brielle’s eyes met Joanna’s in the mirror, her surprise quickly shadowed by a flicker of annoyance. “Joanna,” she chided, “don’t you know how to knock
As Brielle rose from her seat, ready to deliver a lecture on etiquette, Joanna’s hand shot out, delivering a stinging slap across her cheek.
Brielle’s eyes were wide with disbelief, her emotions a whirlwind of shock and fury. “Joanna, how dare you!” she snapped. After all these years of Joanna being in her debt and enduring her behavior, this was the last thing she had expected.
Ө
