He Waited She Wilted (Ottilie and Yorath) novel Chapter 33

The sound of the door clicking shut made Ottilie let out a long sigh of relief.

She hated being alone with Yorath.

The next day.

Ottilie woke up at four in the morning.

She headed to the kitchen, brewed a fresh pot of coffee, baked a simple quiche, and crisped up some hash browns.

She left a sticky note on the counter.

{Yorath, I'll cook your morning and evening meals to cover my rent.}

As soon as she walked out the front door, she bumped right into Soren.

"Heading to work, Ms. Sewell?"

"Yes. Do you lawyers ever sleep?"

"I just came to drop off some files for Mr. Fordham. I'm heading out right now, so wait a second—I'll give you a ride on my way back."

Soren dropped the envelope inside the house, then came back out to drive her to work.

By ten-thirty that morning, Ottilie had finished cleaning up the diner and was getting ready to end her shift.

James Sewell called her.

"Ottilie, come home for lunch after work."

"It's too far," she replied coldly. "I'm not coming."

James exploded in anger. "Are you trying to sever ties with this family? I raised you, and this is how you treat your parents? Come home tonight, or I'll come down to your workplace and make a massive scene."

Listening to the dial tone, Ottilie stood frozen for several seconds before slipping her phone back into her pocket and continuing to mop the floor.

She took the bus back to her family's house, arriving right at lunchtime.

The house felt eerily cold; no one had bothered to cook.

Marie sat on a stool in the yard, aggressively wiping away her tears.

James stood nearby, his face dark as thunder, furiously puffing on a cigarette.

Seeing her walk in, his expression twisted into annoyance and sheer dissatisfaction.

Unable to handle the confrontation, Marie stood up and practically shrieked.

"We didn't sell you out! We didn't betray you! It was Yorath! He made us do it!"

Seeing his opening, James jumped in without a second thought.

"Years ago, Yorath personally came to us. He gave us fifty thousand dollars to go to court and say those exact words."

Ottilie turned slowly, staring at her father in dead silence.

Thinking she didn't believe him, James desperately added, "I have proof! I have a recording."

He scrambled back into his bedroom, tore through his drawers, and emerged with a small digital voice recorder.

"Shawn recorded this back then because he was worried Yorath would refuse to pay up after we testified. Use this to threaten him. If he doesn't save your brother, you release the audio and ruin his reputation."

Ottilie took the recorder, walked into her old bedroom, and locked the door.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she pressed the play button.

She listened to it in absolute, unmoving silence.