Scarlett's POV:
I could hear Rita's coquettish voice even from the kitchen.
"How can you let an anchorwoman cook, Charles?" she teased.
She might be using a gentle voice, but she was still enjoying finding fault in me.
"Scarlett was willing to cook, and I didn't think there was anything wrong with that," Charles replied calmly. He sat on the sofa and paged through the magazine in his hand.
Uninterested in their conversation, I just kept my head down and concentrated on cooking.
However, Rita was unwilling to be ignored. She sat down next to Charles and chatted with David and Spencer.
I glanced at her and saw the face of her father, a man who would be forever etched in my memory. No woman would ever forget the man who once asked her to be his mistress. I was still upset about that encounter as if it just happened yesterday.
I walked out of the kitchen. I decided I would continue cooking after Rita was done making a scene here.
"Where are you going, Scarlett?" Charles put down the magazine and stood up when he saw me leaving.
I was about to tell him that I was just stepping out for some fresh air, but then Rita put her hand over her chest and collapsed on the floor. I did not buy her act the moment I saw it. The timing was suspiciously impeccable, the damsel in distress dramatically falling in front of the hero. I almost rolled my eyes.
My eyes darted to Charles. He was immediately beside Rita and asking her if she was okay.
"Rita? Rita!"
Charles called her name several times, but Rita closed her eyes and did not respond.
"Scarlett, give me my phone. I need to call the doctor," Charles snapped.
I went to get his phone and handed it to him. He was now holding the unconscious Rita in his arms.
Charles called a doctor named Addison as he carried Rita out of the apartment. His tone was full of concern and anxiety. As I followed him out, I felt as if my heart was snapping like dried twigs. Once again, he was abandoning me for Rita.
Charles put Rita on the backseat of his car and then slid into the driver's seat. Then, he turned to look at me.
"Please come with me,"
he pleaded, which instantly burned through my defenses. My mind screamed at me to refuse, but my body did otherwise. I opened the car door and sat in the backseat with Rita. I carefully set her head on my lap and covered her with Charles's jacket.
When we arrived at the hospital, Charles rushed out of the car and grabbed Rita with calculated haste. "Scarlett, please bring my phone," he asked.
After saying that, he raced to the emergency room and met with the hospital staff. They quickly put Rita on a gurney and wheeled her in.
I took Charles's phone and followed him to the emergency room. David and Spencer arrived just in time to fall into step beside me. We found Charles sitting in the waiting room, looking worried and weary.
"I'm sorry, Spencer and David. This is not a big deal. You don't have to stay. Scarlett and I can wait here."
"No. We'll wait until there's news about Rita," Spencer replied.
Charles just nodded and did not say anything more. He sat there quietly and stared at the door to the emergency room.
Looking at everything in front of me, I did not know how to react.
David gently patted me on the shoulder and said, "You must be freaked out, Scarlett. Don't worry. Charles will take care of everything."
I manufactured a smile and put it on my face.
Just then, the doors to the emergency room swung open, and a doctor in green scrubs with a stethoscope around his neck emerged. Charles sprang to his feet. Before he could ask, the doctor spoke. "The patient is stable and out of danger. You can rest easy now."
Soon, Rita was transferred to the general ward.
David, Spencer, and I stood in the corridor and felt relieved to see her.
"It's getting late, Scarlett, and you have to go to work tomorrow. Let me take you home," David offered.
I dipped my chin in acknowledgement. I did not need to be here. Charles could accompany Rita, and Rita most certainly did not need me.
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