Chapter 345
Effie quickly stopped Lyman and snatched back her phone.
“Annabel?”
Annabel’s voice was barely a whisper, as if she was terrified someone else might overhear. “Effie, help me! I don’t have any clothes on. Can you bring me
something to wear? The address is…”
Effie’s heart skipped a beat. No clothes? Did that mean Annabel was—
She jotted down the address while anxiety crept into her voice. “Annabel, should I call the police? Are you in trouble? Did someone hurt you?”
A flicker of embarrassment crossed Annabel’s face, though she tried to sound casual. “No, no, don’t call the police. It’s not like that. It’s just… someone I know.”
Effie was silent for a moment, listening to Annabel’s evasive tone. At this point, she couldn’t even tell whether Annabel had taken advantage of someone else, or the other way around.
“Alright, I’ll send someone with your clothes.”
“No, please. I need you to come yourself. Please, Effie.”
Effie sighed. “Fine. I’m on my way.”
As soon as Effie hung up, she started getting dressed.
Lyman stood up too, and wrapped his arms around her waist, resting his head on her shoulder. Even through the thin fabric, Effie could feel the heat radiating from him.
She glanced nervously at his strong arms around her waist and swallowed hard. “Stop messing around. I need to bring Annabel her clothes.”
Lyman said calmly, “You don’t need to. That address is her ex-husband’s place.”
“Her… ex-husband?!” Effie’s eyes widened in shock.
Wait a second-was Annabel trying to get back together with him?
But that didn’t make sense. If she really wanted that, why would she want Effie to bring her clothes?
Lyman dropped another bombshell. “Annabel’s ex-husband is Fenton. They had a whirlwind marriage, then split up for reasons none of us ever figured out.”
Effie’s jaw dropped. This was almost too much to take in all at once.
“That explains it! No wonder Luther said you brought Annabel some antacids that day, and then I felt like someone was lurking around, watching us. Then Mr. Fenton showed up-so that’s what was really going on…”
“The medicine was actually from Fenton. He just used my name. To be honest, Fenton’s never gotten over Annabel. He’s the one who wants to patch things up. Annabel, on the other hand, always complains about him, but whenever he’s in trouble, she’s the first to show up. I honestly have no idea what’s going on between those two.” Lyman shook his head.
Usually, Lyman never gossiped about other people’s private lives; he believed these things were none of their business.
But this time, he figured Effie ought to know, otherwise the way she stood there, mouth agape, made her look a little foolish.
“But if I don’t bring her clothes, Annabel will be mad at me.”
“Do you know why she didn’t ask her assistant, but asked you?” Lyman pressed. “Because she knows if you show up, Fenton won’t dare try anything. He’ll have to let her go.”
Effie licked her lips, thinking. “Then that’s all the more reason for me to go.”
“You don’t get it. Men and women think differently. If she wanted me to bring her clothes, it’d mean she didn’t want anything to do with Mr. Fenton right now. We should respect her wishes,” Effie insisted.
Lyman considered this and realized she had a point. He finally agreed to take Effie to deliver the clothes.
When they arrived, Annabel was on the phone, wrapped in a bedsheet and trying to sneak out undetected.
But the moment she opened the door, she found Fenton standing there, arms, folded across his chest a half-amused, half-exasperated smile on his face. “What’s this? You wreck my place, and now you think you can just slip away?”
Annabel put on her best innocent act. “You’re a lawyer, not a gangster. Stop
making things up!”