Chapter 52
“Elise, let me ask you something. Which orphanage did you adopt Dorothea from? Maybe I should post a missing persons ad for her real family. That way she won’t mistake her stepmother for her actual mom p>
“Latham, I p>
“That’s enough. I’m calling to warn you. Don’t try anything shady with her again. I don’t know exactly what you did to her before,” Latham’s voice went cold, “but from now on, if you try to mess with her, you’ll have to deal with me p>
Elise and Layton stared at each other, both a little stunned.
Layton’s face darkened. “Alonzo was home last night. He must be the one who did it. I’m going upstairs to talk to him. He needs to apologize to Dorothea p>
Without waiting, he got up and headed for the stairs.
Elise sat at the dining table, feeling more than a little sour. Getting schooled by someone younger about how she treated her own daughter… it felt like a slap in the face.
She tried calling Dorothea, but all she got was the automated message that the phone was off.
When Latham walked into the hospital room, Dorothea was already awake.
She rubbed her aching temples. “Did you bring me to the hospital p>
“Who else would it be? A ghost?” Latham shot back.
As soon as the words left his mouth, he noticed Dorothea’s face go pale, and he instantly felt guilty.
“Are you hungry? Want something to eat?” he added, trying to soften his tone.
Dorothea didn’t seem bothered by his attitude. “Thank you. Can I get some porridge? I think my phone’s dead p>
“Sure. Linda will bring it soon. Want some water p>
He didn’t wait for her answer and went to fill her cup.
Dorothea leaned against the headboard, slowly starting to feet better she hadn’t expected Latham, to be the one to help her today. Now she owed him another favor. What could she give him next time?
Latham came back quickly and
handed her the cup. Dorothea took a small sto. The water was just
the
temperature, warm and easy to
drink.
Latham was more thoughtful than she’d expected.
“So what happened last night? Do you know who locked you in?” Latham asked as
he watched her finish the water in small sips.
Dorothea put the cup down and wiped her lips. “I have a pretty good guess.
Probably my half-brother. He was home last night p>
Latham tapped his knuckles on his knee, storing the information away.
Dorothea gave him an apologetic smile. “Sorry for messing up your cruise trip with your boyfriend p>
Latham froze.
He repeated, “Boyfriend p>
“Yeah. I gave you those two cruise tickets, remember? Didn’t you say you’d go with your boyfriend after
your business trip? If you werent helping me, you two would probably be on the ship right now p>
Suddenly, Dorothea noticed how dark Latham’s expression was getting and her heart skipped a beat.
Did she say something wrong?
Or maybe, in his circle, you called your partner your girlfriend instead of your boyfriend?
She hesitated, then tried again. “Should I call your partner your girlfriend p>
Latham’s face grew even colder. “Exactly. Of course you’re not wrong. I was the one who got it all mixed up p>
He had actually thought she wanted to go on a honeymoon with him.