Page 189 of Her Wicked Plan

“She doesn’t love you back, Leo,” she says in a cold tone. “If you believe she does, you aren’t as smart as I thought.”

I don’t bother with words. She wants to continue fighting, but I’m done.

Hopefully, I got my point across.

Only time will tell.

CHAPTER 48

Leo

The rest of the week goes by slowly. Agonizingly slow. Between doing more research into Olivia and another session with Ruby and Veronica, I’ve been busy. The whole week, no one has come down to my office to fire me.

My threat must have stuck if no one was beating at my door. Scarlet doesn’t want it to get out of the things that she has done. With the guards, other nurses and Veronica even mentioned that Scarlet had been intimate with some patients in the past.

She seems like a sweet woman on the outside, but the woman creeping on the inside of her should be locked up in this facility.

I’ve also been stressing out about this weekend. I am going home, which is exciting, but deep down, I’m afraid something wild will happen here, and they won’t have anyone else take over. I’m terrified they will need me to stay.

I’ll choose my family if it comes down to my job and seeing them this weekend.

My office is suffocating; the four walls closing in on me while I attempt to focus on paperwork and emails in the stuffy room make my mind cloudy. Opening the window to allow a breeze in doesn’t even help.

Since it is the end of June, the sun has become hotter as we begin to roll into July, and the leaves on the trees don’t move as much. Having the window open almost makes it worse.

Deciding I’ve had enough of work and my chest is tight, I leave the office and wander out to the garden. Luckily, no other patients are roaming around. Ruby was right. Everyone else would rather be in the courtyard, which makes no sense. Who wouldn’t want to be in this garden soaking up its beauty?

I take my time wandering around the area, taking in the sights of the flowers. I wish that my mother had more time to plant some of the different flowers that are here.

She planted many flowers in the backyard, even having a small greenhouse home to some other plants that needed extra care and less sun.

The last time I was home, I hadn’t looked out at the garden or the greenhouse. With her being sick, the flowers and plants probably died. I can’t imagine how heartbroken she must feel watching her hobby wither away as her body does the same.

I squeeze my eyes shut tight, willing the tears away at the thought of my mother never being able to garden again.

A delicate touch is light on my arm, causing my eyes to flutter open. A stinging sensation vibrates in both eyes, but I blink away the impending tears to see who my visitor is. Veronica wears a worried expression. One that has become too familiar recently.

She constantly asks me if I’m all right with everything going on. It’s odd, being the center of her attention. I’m the person she puts all her positive energy into lately.

No one else gets to see her this way, and it upsets me. If everyone else saw this side of her, they wouldn’t be afraid of her.

“Hey.” I offer a sad smile.

“You doing okay?” The question that has left her lips a thousand times still catches me off guard. How can a person like Veronica be so concerned for someone else? All she used to care about was herself.

Until me.

“Yeah.” I nod, her hand still lightly touching my bicep. “Needed some fresh air.”

“You’ve been busy,” she points out, removing her touch. The spot where she held contact is icy without her, and I miss her warmth. “I stopped by your office, but you weren’t in there. When I strolled past the garden, I saw you out here. I thought we could talk about some stuff.”

She wants to talk about her and I leaving. I haven’t even given myself the time to think of the right way to let her down. Not with all that’s on my plate. “With the new patient coming to our ward, Ruby’s session, and everything else, I’ve thrown myself into work.”

As I normally do.

“I’m surprised you are taking on another patient. With everything.” I watch the side of her face as she gazes down at the flowers. It’s hard to tell if she is taking in their beauty or in a daze. Her eyes seem to gloss over.

“Maybe being busier will help take my mind off things.” Her hair is a wild mess today. Curls of different shapes and sizes and the rising June heat do nothing to control the frizz. She still looks beautiful, though. “I’ll be gone this weekend.”