Chapter 7 You Understand That
667 Words
One phone call was all it took. Arielle showed up at the Cole villa without a second thought.
When she saw Whitney's swollen eyes and the empty urn, she didn't need an explanation. "Sebastian... He's a monster!"
Arielle gently stroked her hair, her voice tight with anger. "Whitney, are you really going to stay with him? He's already moved on."
"I don't want to anymore." Whitney's eyes were hollow, like she was empty inside. "Arielle, let's leave together. Go somewhere Sebastian can't find us. Okay?"
Arielle's eyes filled with tears. "Whitney... I'll go with you. I don't care about my career or the money. I just want you."
She held Whitney close, her tears falling onto Whitney's cold skin. "Home is wherever you are."
For the first time in what felt like forever, some warmth finally crept back into Whitney's broken heart.
Arielle said, "Okay. We'll go together. I'll pack tonight and book the flights. I'll pick you up first thing tomorrow morning."
Whitney walked Arielle out. But that night, right before she fell asleep, Whitney felt a sharp pain in her chest—and she couldn't understand why, since she'd never had any heart problems before.
It was like someone was ripping her heart in two. She sat up in bed, drenched in a cold sweat.
Something was wrong. She could feel it was Arielle.
Panic took over. She grabbed her phone and called Arielle over and over.
But she got no answer every single time.
Finally, her phone rang. Whitney grabbed it like a drowning person grabbing air. But the voice on the other end made everything go black. "Hello, is this the family of Arielle Thorne? Please come to Central Hospital immediately. There's been an accident. She's critical..."
Whitney drove like a madwoman. But by the time she got there, it was too late.
"I'm so sorry. We did everything we could," the doctor said.
Whitney's blood ran cold. Every ounce of strength left her body. She collapsed onto her knees in front of the hospital bed.
Their parents had died young. It had always been just the two of them. Whitney never imagined Arielle would go first.
When they pulled back the sheet, Whitney saw what was left of Arielle. She was shaking so badly she could barely stand.
"Who... Who did this?" she asked.
"The driver was under the influence. He fled the scene." The officer's voice was sympathetic. "We're still investigating. I'm very sorry for your loss."
Whitney tried calling Sebastian. Maybe he could help figure out what happened. But his phone went straight to voicemail—every time.
So she handled it herself. After arranging for Arielle's body to be held, Whitney threw herself into the investigation. Her eyes were bloodshot, but she didn't care.
She finally got a lead—the hit-and-run driver's license plate. Then, suddenly, everything went quiet, like someone had shut it all down.
When the realization hit, it felt like a bucket of cold water had been dumped over her head.
Who had that kind of power? Only Sebastian.
Whitney went home and slapped the surveillance report down in front of Sebastian. Her face was stone cold. "Was it you?"
Her voice was raw. "Arielle is dead. She was all I had left. Why are you protecting him?"
Sebastian just sighed and slid a black card across the table. "Take this. My way of helping. Stop digging into this, okay?"
Whitney stared at him like she didn't recognize him. Then she picked up the card and threw it in his face. "Go to hell."
Sebastian didn't even flinch. "I know you're hurting. But the driver is Brenda's brother, Simon Gardner. She doesn't want him to go to prison. She has been a wreck all night. If she keeps crying like this, it could hurt the pregnancy."
He frowned slightly. "You were a mother once. You understand that, right?"
Whitney could barely breathe. "Arielle just died. And that's it? Sebastian, you won't even give her justice?"
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