by Elle Dalton
“So do I.” A smile crept up on Ervin’s face. “We could put a mountain of pillows between us. As long as we remain appropriate, we aren’t disrespecting Jolene. In fact, I’m sure she wouldn’t want you sleeping alone tonight either.”
He had a point. Ultimately, Aunt Jolene wouldn’t be upset if Ervin slept in my room as long as he was comforting me.
I nodded. “Okay, I’d love it if you stayed the night.”
We lay down on the bed next to each other. Ervin wrapped an arm around me, pulling me tight even though I was as close to him as I could possibly get. It was as if he was afraid that if he loosened his grip, he would lose me.
He had no reason to worry about us. I was unsure of many things, but I never for one second doubted that I wanted to spend the rest of my life with Ervin.
I comforted myself with the thought that no matter what happened, I had Ervin. He loved me and I loved him and we’d figure it out together.
It was only by focusing on my love for him that I was able to finally drift off to sleep.
Even with Ervin by my side, I didn’t sleep well. The nightmares tortured me, and at one point I sat up in bed, dripping with sweat. The relief of seeing Ervin next to me soothed me to sleep again.
When I opened my eyes again, the sun was out and Ervin was already awake. He had breakfast waiting for me.
“Now you really need to eat. You didn’t have dinner last night.”
“I’ll try.” I yawned and rubbed my eyes.
The few hours of troubled sleep I’d had didn’t help. As soon as I awoke fully and remembered what had happened, nausea overcame me. It was hard to go on with my life when two more people were dead and Karen was in jail.
“I’ll eat later,” I said softly.
The aroma of eggs, sausage, and fresh bread failed at trying to tempt me.
“You at least need to drink the juice. I pressed it myself especially for you.”
I lowered my gaze to the orange juice on my nightstand. I supposed I could manage that.
I was wrong. After a couple sips, the nausea grew way worse.
I wrapped an arm around my stomach.
“Are you okay?”
“I’m sorry. I think I’m going to throw up.”
As bitter bile touched the back of my throat, I pushed the bed sheets aside and stumbled to the bathroom, where I fell to my knees in front of the toilet and retched until my stomach was empty.
When I was done, I turned to find Ervin standing in the doorway, concern tainting his handsome face.
“Do you feel any better?” he asked.
“Not really.” I blew out a breath. “I don’t feel too well.”
“I’ll take you to the doctor.”
“Definitely not. This isn’t anything serious. It’s just nerves.”
The idea of having to face the day ahead would be enough to make anyone sick.
“Diana, you’re throwing up. That’s pretty serious. You’re sick.”
“I’m just stressed, that’s all. You don’t have to worry about me. I’ll feel better soon.”
He grabbed a glass that sat on my bathroom counter and filled it with water.
“Here, rinse your mouth out. But don’t drink any of it.”
“Why not?” I asked.
“If you drink water immediately after throwing up, your stomach will likely reject it. For now, you need to just rinse.”
I accepted the water and rinsed out the disgusting taste in my mouth.
“You really don’t look so great. Why not just talk to a doctor?”
“Baby, I’m fine.” I leaned against the basin as dizziness swept over me. “I just need to relax.”
“Then you should.” His voice was firm. “You should take it easy. We’ll take care of everything for you.” He ran a hand down my back. “I hate seeing you like this.”
“Trust me, I don’t want you to see me like this either. It’s not exactly romantic.”
“That’s not what I meant. I’m happy to take care of you. It’s just so hard to see you struggle and—Dee, are you okay?”
His words faded into the distance and my ears started to ring. I felt like I was underwater.
I could blame the nausea on stress, but I was suddenly feeling much worse. Everything was spinning.
“Something is wrong,” I murmured, using all my energy to do so. “Something... really, really wrong.”
If he answered, I couldn’t hear it.
I felt myself sink, felt Ervin catch me, then the world faded to black.
Chapter 15
Everything was too bright. The stark white walls hurt my eyes. For a second or two, I had no idea where I was, but I knew it wasn’t at the hotel since I’d had the walls painted a pale gray. I found sheer white walls anxiety-inducing. Now I was surrounded by four of them.
As I came to, I took in more of my surroundings and listened to the sounds around me. My head ached at an incessant beeping noise. I blinked several times and glanced up to my right. Some kind of monitor hung over me. When I lowered my gaze again, I noticed the wires connected to my body.
I was in the hospital. But why? I couldn’t remember being brought there or anything that happened before. I forced my mind to fill in the blanks, but the images that formed were too clouded.
I moaned and heard Ervin’s voice from somewhere in the room. No matter what state of mind I was in, I’d always recognize his voice.
“Diana, baby, are you awake?”
“Yes,” I said in a hoarse whisper.
“Thank God.” He came to the bed and kissed my cheeks and forehead. “I was so worried about you.”
Apparently, he wasn’t the only one, because Jolene’s voice soon followed.
“Diana, sweetheart, we were so worried.”
“What happened?” I mumbled and swallowed to soothe my parched throat.
Ervin and Aunt Jolene gave each other a brief look. Something terrible must have happened to me.
“What is it? Was I in an accident?” The grogginess was starting to leave me, but it was being replaced by anxiety.
It didn’t make sense for me to be in an accident. Through all the confusion in my head, I managed to remember that the hotel was locked down. Karen had been arrested. Perhaps at that point, the police lifted the lockdown and we were free to leave. Maybe I was driving somewhere and crashed my car.
“No, you were not in an accident. Don’t you remember anything?” Ervin brushed loose strands of my hair from my face.
I attempted to shake my head, then stopped. Movement made my head scream with pain.
“You don’t remember getting sick in the bathroom the morning after Karen’s arrest?”
I racked my brain. Yes, that was familiar. Karen was arrested and I asked Ervin to stay the night with me. The next morning, I felt nauseous. I sipped the orange juice he gave me and threw up. After that, everything was fuzzy.
“I kind of remember. Am I sick?” I searched my mind for a medical condition that would make me vomit. “Did my appendix burst?” I hadn’t noticed any pain, though.
At hearing my question, Aunt Jolene turned away and her shoulders shook with sobs.
What was going on?
Ervin stepped in to explain. “You’re not sick, my love. I mean, you’re sick now, of course. But you weren’t…” Ervin’s words fell from his lips in pieces.
“What are you guys keeping from me?” I didn’t have time to dance around the subject.
Ervin wiped his eyes and took a deep breath. “The police say you were poisoned, the same way Donny was.”
Blood drained from my face, leaving me cold. “Someone tried to kill me?”
Aunt Jolene turned back to face me, her eyes glistening. “The police are trying to figure out who did it. Do you have any idea if Karen could have—”
“Definitely not.” I squinted at her. “Karen is my best friend. She would never hurt me. Why would you think it was Karen?”
“Well, she was caught with the murder w
eapon that killed Jordan and Ervin said—”
Ervin gave my aunt a look, signaling for her to stop.
“What did Ervin say?” I pressed. I hated that they were treating me like a fragile egg.
Aunt Jolene gave Ervin an apologetic look and he sighed and took my hand. “Look, I don’t think it’s Karen, either. I told the police as much. But they asked about the past twenty-four hours. I told them that Karen got us some drinks at the bar.”
“Ervin,” I said as loudly as I could muster, which was barely above a whisper. “Why would you do that? You know the cops already think Karen is a murderer. Now they’re going to think she’s responsible for this and she isn’t.”
“I’m sorry, babe, I really am. But I couldn’t lie to them, they had to have the whole story. What if it was the bartender or something? They wanted to know everything you consumed in the past twenty-four hours.”
That wasn’t much. I had been too sick to eat after Karen was arrested. All I’d had was the drink she got from the bar and… the orange juice.
“Did you tell the cops about the juice?” I asked Ervin.
“Of course I did. They questioned me about it for a while, too, since I was the one who gave it to you. They’re also questioning everyone who had access to your breakfast before I brought it up to you.”
I blinked away warm tears. “This is the same exact poison that killed Donny?”
They both nodded.
“Then why am I not dead?”
“Because you didn’t consume enough of it,” a stranger’s voice replied from the doorway.
Aunt Jolene and Ervin moved so the doctor could make his way to my bed. He had moss green eyes and wavy brown hair that curled a bit around his ears.
“You’re awake. So nice to meet the patient I’ve been working on for days.”
“Days?” I asked in horror. “I’ve been asleep for days?”
“Not asleep, no, in a comatose state. For a while there, it was touch and go. We weren’t sure you were going to make it. The poison you drank was strong, even in small doses. Your fiancé here told us you only drank a bit of the juice. If you had finished it, you would probably be dead.”
It took a moment for his words to sink in.
I almost died?
It was crazy that through all the murders at the Ivory Rose, I never considered that I was in danger. I should have, especially considering how suspicious I was of Chloe. She hated me, so why wouldn’t she take it upon herself to cut me out of the picture?
I felt so stupid. I wasn’t careful at all. I was constantly eating and drinking items that had been brought to my room by hotel staff. It was a surprise that I wasn’t poisoned sooner.
“Is she going to be all right?” Aunt Jolene asked. “Will she have any long-term issues because of this?”
“It’s unlikely.” The doctor looked down at his clipboard. “Your scans came back clean and your blood test showed the poison had worked its way out of your system. You’re going to be just fine.”
He had a reassuring smile on his face, but it did nothing to comfort me. I couldn’t believe this was happening, couldn’t believe I’d been such an idiot.
What would have happened if I died? Ervin would probably feel guilty for the rest of his life because he was the one who handed me the glass of orange juice that killed me. I was so grateful to be alive. The thought of my family and friends grieving me made my stomach hurt.
My mind flitted to my mom. Surely, she would have been distraught over my death too.
Why wasn’t she in the room with me? Although I was still heavily leaning toward Chloe being the murderer, my mother’s absence sent alarm bells ringing in my head.
“We’re going to need to monitor you for a few days,” the doctor cut into my thoughts. “After that, you can return home. I’ll be back to check on you later.”
I nodded and gave him a weak smile.
Home. The word reverberated through my mind. Where was that exactly? I spent most of my days at the hotel. That wasn’t something I was eager to do anymore.
“Who’s managing the hotel in my absence?” I asked Aunt Jolene. “If you and Ervin are here and Karen is in jail…”
Aunt Jolene took my hand and squeezed it. “I was hoping you wouldn’t ask about the hotel for a while.”
“I need to know.”
What happened while I was asleep? I felt so cut off from the world.
Ervin sank into the chair next to my bed and moved closer. “Honey, I know the Ivory Rose means a lot to you, but, after you ended up in the hospital, we thought the best thing to do was shut it down. I instructed the cleaning staff to go there today and do a final cleanup. They’re still there now.”
“Are you saying you shut my hotel down for good?”
“We don’t have the authority to do that, dear,” my aunt said, “but both me and Ervin think you should keep it closed. As the hotel owner, it’s your decision, of course, but that place is no good for anyone, Diana.”
I tried to sit up in bed, but my entire body ached, and my heart hurt more.
“Have you decided to believe my mother? Do you also think the hotel is cursed?” My fingers curled around the sheets. “You know she’s wrong, right? It’s not a curse. One sick criminal is behind it all. We just need to—” I let out a soft gasp when a sharp pain split my head.
“Easy, easy,” Ervin whispered. “We can discuss this later. Your aunt is just telling you how we feel. We know the hotel is not cursed, but that doesn’t change the fact that terrible tragedies keep occurring there. And now that we know there is someone who wants you dead—”
“Chloe, you mean? She’s the one behind all this. You know that, Ervin? You do.”
I refused to believe it was Karen. But questions about my mom still swirled in my mind, creating chaos. She wouldn’t kill me, surely. She may resent me for not returning to New York, but she’d never want me dead. She was my mother.
Then why had she not come to see me at the hospital? How could my own mother not make an appearance?
Was guilt keeping her away?
I might not like the answer, but I had to ask. “Where’s my mom?”
“Your mother is outside,” Aunt Jolene explained. “She’s horrified about what happened to you, but she didn’t think she had a right to be in here, considering how strained your relationship was.”
As if on cue, I heard the click-clack of heels on the tile outside my room, then my mother appeared in the doorway. She was probably at the door the entire time and heard us talking about her.
To my surprise, her eyes looked red-rimmed and puffy.
“You’re awake?” she said more than asked. “That’s good. May I come in?”
“Yes.” I swallowed the sob rising up my throat.
“Diana, I’m so sorry.” She crossed the room fast and took my hand, wrapping her cool fingers around it.
“Sorry for what?” I asked. “It’s not like you poisoned me.”
“No, not that.” Her bottom lip trembled. “I’m sorry for the way I’ve treated you, for the mother I’ve been. I’ve done nothing but try to force you to return to New York even though you’ve told me time and time again that wasn’t where you wanted to be. I let my desire for money and success override my empathy for my own daughter and… I’m the worst mother in the world.”
For the first time since I was a child, her words didn’t sound rehearsed. And I knew my mom, she wasn’t a great actress, she couldn’t force the tears rolling down her cheeks.
Her entire demeanor had changed. The cold woman who had wished for me to fail was gone.
In her place, I saw the mother I grew up with. The mother who dried my tears on the sleeve of her shirt. The mom who made me chicken noodle soup when I was sick, rubbed my back until I fell asleep. I’d nearly forgotten her, but she was back, as if plucked right out of my past.
I regretted thinking even for a second that she could be responsible for poisoning me. My mom loved me. She hadn’t been grea
t at showing it for the past few years, but how could I forget all the ways she cared for me when I was growing up?
I hadn’t realized just how much I’d missed her. At that moment, I needed my mother to hold me, and I allowed her to. As though she read my mind, she slipped into the small bed next to me and held me. I felt safe in her arms once more.
I hoped my father was watching us, that he saw the beautiful moment between us. If only he were here with us.
All the tragedy had been nearly too much to handle and one singular moment was the bright spot I had been waiting for. I had my mother back.
“Can you ever forgive me for how awful I’ve been?” she asked.
“Of course, Mom.” My own tears flowed.
“Thank you, baby.” She kissed cheek. “I’m never going to mention New York again, I promise. You don’t have to return to make me happy. Stay right here where you belong.”
I glanced at Ervin. What I was about to say next could disappoint him.
“I don’t know if that’s an option anymore. I think I’m going to have to model again… After everything that has happened.”
I needed enough money to support both her and me.
“I’m so sorry, Diana. I really am. If there’s anything I can do to help bring the Ivory Rose back to life, I’ll do it.”
“I think we just have to find the murderer for now.” I squeezed her hand. “I know who it is and she will go to prison for a very long time.”
Chapter 16
I sent Ervin, Aunt Jolene, and my mother home later that night. I insisted that I was fine, that they all needed to get some rest. The truth was, I was less concerned about their rest and more concerned with myself.
Before they left, I had pleaded with the doctor to discharge me early, to let me go home with them. Lying in bed doing nothing for hours only made me worry. Besides, for the most part, I felt fine and the pain in my head had subsided. Nothing was seriously wrong with me.
The doctor refused. My family agreed with him, insisting I should take it easy, that anything else could wait. But it couldn’t. Right now, the Ivory Rose was empty aside from the cleaning crew, who may get rid of key evidence I needed to find the murderer and clear Karen’s name. I didn’t want her to sit in a jail cell one more day.