Page 403 of Forbidden Billionaires: Vol. 2

"Not now, pumpkin."

"But, Daddy, it's the snake."

"Scarlett, I've told you so many times. There are no evil snakes."

"Yes there are. It's Mr. Snake." She pointed to the T.V. screen, where she was paused in the middle of the movie.

It was paused on an image of Professor Snape.

"Pumpkin that isn't..." my voice trailed off as I studied the image. The long greasy hair. The black robe. The actor that played Professor Snape looked uncannily like Dr. Nelson. A slightly younger version, but very similar.

"Bad Snake." She pointed at the T.V. screen again.

"Do you mean Professor Snape?"

"Yes! Snapes!" She looked so excited, like she had been trying to explain this to me for weeks. "Snapes," she said and nodded. "Bad Snapes. Snapes hurt Mommy."

"How did Snape hurt Mommy?"

Scarlett pretended to pop something into her mouth, tilted her head back, and made a gulping noise. "For healthy baby."

"Her pills," I said and turned around to Matt. I thought about Dr. Nelson prescribing them the first time. To take them instead of her usual prenatal vitamins. Penny had complained about being tired that day. He said they would help. Then he upped the dose once she started having chest pains.Shit.

I ran into the kitchen and opened up the cabinet where she kept them. But they weren't there.

"Here," Matt said and lifted them off the counter. "Oh, fuck." He picked up a note that had been sitting next to them. "Ellen accidentally sent them with you to London. Penny didn't take them all weekend. She must have taken a whole bunch last night when she got home to make up for it."

"Let me see it," someone said from behind us. I turned around as Matt tossed him the bottle. I recognized the investigator. Rob and I had used him on other occasions. He had actually helped me get my divorce papers signed.

He unscrewed the cap and bit one of the gel capsules in half. Then he immediately spit it out. "That's it. Taking these over time would do some serious damage."

I recognized the pills as soon as the investigator pulled one out. I had taken them while I was in London. Really, I had thought nothing of it. I assumed Ellen had just picked up a different brand of vitamins. The side of my face twitched again. And for the first time since the plane landed, I felt relieved. It wasn't withdrawal. There was poison in my bloodstream too. I wasn't addicted to my wife. It suddenly felt like I could breathe again.I'm not addicted to her. I love her.

"James?" Matt said, pulling me out of my stupor. "What do you want us to do?"

"Call the police." I knelt down to Scarlett. "Scarlett, how did you know this?"

"It was my fault." Her bottom lip trembled. "I opened the door when he knocked. Even though I knew I wasn't supposed to open doors. Even though I promised you I wouldn't. I was bad."

"It's okay, pumpkin. You're not bad. Just tell me what happened." I put my hands on her shoulders.

"He gave Mommy new healthy baby medicine. And said that she needed it. And he made me promise not to tell. He said he'd kill Mommy if I told. But I was scared." Tears were streaming down her cheeks. "So I told Mommy about snakes right away. But no one believed me. I tried to whisper, but I had to say it over and over and over again. He must have heard me." She pointed up to the cameras. "He said he was watching. He said it would be fine and that everyone would think he was the best. But I knew it wasn't going to be fine. I tried to tell you." She started crying harder, unable to speak.

"Pumpkin." I pulled her into my arms, pressing her ear to the side of my face and covering her other one with my hand. "Get Porter to deactivate all the cameras," I said to Matt. "I need to get down to the hospital before he does something else."

Matt was still on the phone with the police, unable to listen to my request.

So I lifted Scarlett into my arms, ran out into the hallway, and down to the security office. I knocked on the door.

Porter looked alarmed when he opened it. Like he hadn't seen everything that just happened. Because he probably hadn't. Because I had told him to only glance every five minutes. Because Penny felt uncomfortable with them watching us. Because I didn't want them to see the curves of her body. Or me fucking her relentlessly. What had I been thinking?

Maybe I should have told him about the shooting pain in my left arm. Or the fact that I knew I had consumed some of the poison. But I was heading to the hospital anyway. So instead, I handed Scarlett to him. "Call the hospital. Dr. Nelson poisoned Penny. I should have seen it. He was the one that told us about the heart murmur in the first place. He made the whole thing up. He gave me the health records from her last OB-GYN. He probably fucking tampered with them!" How had I not seen any of the signs? "Him disagreeing with the doctors at the ER about Penny needing medicine for her elevated blood pressure and heart rate. His pretend sincerity for my family. Him saying he'd testify against Dr. Jones. Him pressing the fact that his rival practice was negligent. He wanted to ruin them. And what better than a public face like Penny's to do that? He was going to destroy Dr. Jones' practice with the tabloids, even without winning a lawsuit. He just wanted to be number one. And he said he was going to keep his eye on my son and Penny. I think he's planning to do something else." I winced at the pain.

"Are you alright?" Porter asked as he pulled Scarlett against his chest. She was still crying.

"I'm fine," I lied. "Scarlett?"

She looked up at me with her tear stained face.