Chapter 185
My Mute Bride
Amber said, âCharlotte, your mother doesnât even know youâre allergic to honey. You were almost killed.
Of course your daddy canât let her take you.â
Charlotte was paling from anger, and she clenched her fists.
But then, someone said, âAh, talking behind my back the moment I turn around, huh? Looks like youâve been polishing your skills, my dear Amber.â
Amber froze up. A moment later, Rachel came in proudly.
âMommy!â Charlotte was excited to see her.
âHi, Charlotte.â Rachel ignored Justin and Amber. âBrought you some soup.â She put the thermos on the table. âMake sure you finish it.â
âYeah, I will!â
âHere, Iâll help you,â Rachel said.
Just then, Justin could smell a faint stench of alcohol coming off from her, and he frowned. Before she could open the thermos, he dragged her out of the ward. âAre you drunk? Who told you you can come here?â
Rachel staggered backward, almost falling down. âHey, you asked me to meet up with the foreigners.â
She broke free of his grasp. Rachel looked drunk, but she could answer calmly, âAnd I did. Been two hours since I sobered up. I know Iâm fine, so I came to see my daughter. Any problem with that?â
âYouâre obviously drunk. You think you can see her in that state?â Amber mocked. âOr did you forget that Charlotteâs in the hospital because of the honey cookies you gave her?â
That only served to anger Justin further.
Amber continued, âRachel, you abandoned your child years ago. But now you just swoop in and try to take Charlotte away like nobodyâs business. What are you trying to do?â
âSheâs my daughter. I can take her with me if I want to, and you can do nothing about it.â
âIs that so? Iâm Justinâs fiancée.â Amber huddled closer to Justin. âIâve been doing my best to take care of Charlotte. At least I know sheâs allergic to honey, unlike you.â
Suddenly, someone blurted behind them, âAnd how are you so sure Rachel doesnât know about Charlotteâs allergy?â The voice was soft, but it echoed throughout the corridor.
Amber was petrified, and even Justin froze up.
It had been five years, but Julian was still as calm as ever. âItâs been a while, Justin, Miss Hudson.â He looked at Justin and Amber coldly.
Amber looked stiff, but she managed to ask, âDr. Peters. What a surprise. When did you come back?â
Rachel wanted to know as well.
Julian answered with a question, âHm? You donât seem to welcome me, Miss Hudson.â
Amber forced a smile. âWho? Me? Thatâs a misunderstanding. Youâre Justinâs cousin and Madam Parhamâs only son. Sheâs been looking forward to your return for a while now.â
âIs that so? And here I thought youâre worried I might say something thatâll ruin your plans.â
âYouâre such a joker, Dr. Peters. I donât have any plans at all.â Amber was starting to get nervous. Julian knew everything about the events that happened five years ago. Justin might not believe Rachel, but Julian was his own cousin. Justin had lost his memories, so Amber was worried Julian might come back and expose her.
Justin frowned. âWhyâd you come back all of a sudden?â
Julian answered, âIf I donât, youâd accuse Rachel without any proof just like you did five years ago.â He handed a file to Justin. âSee for yourself.â
Justin opened the file, but after he skimmed through a few pages, he looked at Rachel in surprise. âYou knew Charlotteâs allergy all along?â
âIs that so surprising? Sheâs my daughter after all,â Rachel answered calmly. She was still Charlotteâs mother. Even though she couldnât get a lot of information over the last few years, she at least knew everything about her daughterâs health.
Amber shot, âSo what? Doesnât mean you wouldnât forget about it.â
Julian looked at Amber coldly. âRachelâs memorized Charlotteâs medical history. Do you really think sheâd forget something as important as her honey allergy?â
âHey, everythingâs possible.â Amber held Justinâs arm. âYou canât trust them, Justin. They might be lying.â
Justin tensed up. âShe has a point. How do I know youâre not lying?â
Julian was understandably annoyed by his cousinâs stupid question.
âJulian,â Rachel called out to him calmly. âThanks for your help, but I think Iâll have to settle this myself.â
Justin was paranoid to a fault. If Rachel didnât tell him the pieces of the truth and piece it together for him-even though it was as easy as a ten-piece puzzle-he wouldnât believe in this ex-wife of his, who just came out of nowhere.
âYouâll settle this?â Justin looked at her. âHow?â
âAllergies only act up at least ten minutes after the food is taken. It wouldnât have acted up that quickly if it was because of the cookies. I personally looked through the cookiesâ ingredients, and thereâs no honey in it. Thatâs why the cookies didnât cause it.â
Justin and Julian were surprised to hear that.
Rachel continued, âAside from the cookies, all Charlotte had that day was dinner. She had it right before we made the cookies, so the time matches.â In other words, the honey probably was in the dinner Charlotte had that day.
Amber sneered. âYouâre just shifting the blame now. Who can prove it?â
To that, Rachel responded by taking out a report. âAs it turns out, I asked my friend to take some samples of the dinner leftovers for analysis that day.â
She handed the report to Justin. All the ingredients used in the dinner that day were listed there, and there was honey in it.
Amber was starting to panic. âAnd how can you prove that this report is true? Even if it is, how can you convince us that you actually took the dinner leftovers instead of something else?â
âNow, calm down.â Rachel looked at Justin. âKeep reading.â
Justin flipped the page as she asked, and his face fell when he saw what was written on there.
âDonât trust her, Justin. Sheâs just trying to shift the blame.â
Amber was still trying to mock Rachel, but Justin was already giving her a death stare. With a thwack, he hurled the report at Amber. âSee for yourself!â
Amber gasped in surprise, but she was choked when she saw the transaction and purchase history on the report