Page 121 of Betrayal of a Billionaire

“Uh, yeah, she’s fine. She was dehydrated and had a slight sprain of her wrist, but outside of that, she was perfectly fine. Pretty sure they sent her home this morning,” Alicia said before she glanced at Ethan.

“Yep, released earlier this morning. Clean bill of health,” Ethan answered.

Julia’s brow furrowed as relief swept through her. “Good, that’s really good.”

“You saved her life, Julia. But now it’s time to concentrate on your own.”

“I’m fine, Ally. Really. This…a little dehydration and some tiredness is hardly concerning.”

Alicia let her gaze fall to the sheet covering her sister’s lap. “I guess considering what your past year has looked like, it’s minor, huh?”

Julia slid her hair behind her ear as she slumped her shoulders, guilt creeping in again. “I’m sorry, Ally. I really am. I just…”

“No, Juju, it’s okay.”

“It’s not, though. I lied to you. I didn’t want to explain it all or…lie about my relationship with Grant. But I should have told you. At least that way you could have known about everything. Especially the car accident. If anything would have happened to me then…”

“We’d never have known. Because I did try to call hospitals when I couldn’t get ahold of you, but I never found you.”

“Oh, I’d have been under Julia Harrington. You wouldn’t have found Julia Stanton.”

“Yep,” she said with a bob of her head. “And then you said nothing after.”

“I didn’t remember.”

Alicia crinkled her brow. “What?”

“I had amnesia after the accident. The first time we talked…I had no idea who you were. Grant had to tell me.”

Alicia slid her eyes closed as she swallowed hard. “It’s all over now, at least. You’re here. You’re safe.”

“You have burgers,” Luke announced as he wandered back into the room with a delicious-smelling bag in hand. “And a shake.”

“Mmm, thank you,” Julia said with a grin as she dove into the bag and grabbed a handful of fries.

The hot, salty food melted in her mouth as she savored the taste, recalling the terrifying moments alone in the cave where she wondered if she’d ever eat again. As she bit into the burger, her mind wandered to Grant. Was he home with Sierra?

He likely didn’t want to leave her side after the frightening experience yesterday. And with her phone out of commission, he wouldn’t be able to call her. She was surprised he hadn’t called the hospital, though. But maybe he’d been so focused on getting Sierra settled in that he hadn’t thought of it.

Her forehead crinkled as she sipped her chocolate shake. But where was Kyle? Unlikely that he was tending to his half-sister who borderline hated him. She was surprised her stepson wasn’t hovering over her.

Maybe Grant had stopped him in an attempt to give her some much-needed time with her family. Though when had Kyle ever listened to Grant?

“Something wrong, baby sis?” Alicia asked as she rubbed Julia’s arm.

“Oh, uh, no, not really.”

“Burger still as good as you remember?” Luke asked.

She nodded as she smiled at him. “Yes, it is. And the chocolate shake is even better.”

As she took another long sip of the thick, frosty beverage, Ethan’s radio crackled to life. “Hey, Chief? We got a twelve-twenty-seven in progress.”

“I’ll be right there,” Ethan answered as Ally shot him a concerned glance over her shoulder. “I got it, Ally.”

“You know, you don’t have to sit here with me if you two need to cover shifts after that storm. I’m fine. And I’m sure Grant will be here. Or Kyle, at least. I’m surprised he’s not already here, hovering over me.” She grabbed a few more fries.

“I’m not going anywhere, Julia. Not after what happened. Everyone else is pitching in. It’s fine. Ethan and I will cover for them whenever they need it later on.”