But without saying another word, Chelsey turned on her heel and walked off, never once glancing back.
Left with no choice, Hadley made her way outside. Tamara stood by the entrance. The moment she caught sight of Hadley’s expression, she spoke. “Chelsey turned you down, didn’t she?”
“Yeah.” Hadley barely nodded, her voice low and strained. “But I don’t understand why.”
She kept turning it over in her mind, but nothing made sense. Without Chelsey’s cooperation, Ayla was the only option left. Unfortunately, Chelsey’s refusal didn’t give Hadley much reason to be optimistic about Ayla agreeing. Even so, she wasn’t ready to give up without trying.
With quiet resolve, Hadley turned to Tamara. “Take me to the hospital. I need to talk to Ayla.”
“Got it.”
Without delay, they made their way to the hospital.
Inside the hospital room, Ayla remained under constant watch. Restraints kept her in bed, but the bitterness in her eyes was still as sharp as ever. Her mouth twisted into a sneer the second Hadley walked in.
“Back again?” Ayla scoffed, her voice dripping with spite. “What now? I heard you stabbed someone. Aren’t you supposed to be locked away? How are you even walking around free? Oh, wait, I get it—you’ve got Eric pulling strings for you. Must be nice having that kind of luck.”
Even from her hospital bed, Ayla wasn’t out of the loop. News of the scandal involving Hadley and Linda had spread fast, and she’d clearly caught wind of it. Hadley didn’t let Ayla’s unhinged behavior get under her skin. She reminded herself why she came—she needed Ayla’s cooperation.
“Ayla.” Hadley’s tone was measured, her words deliberate. “I get it—you despise me. But listen, if you continue claiming Elissa’s death was your idea alone, it’ll be first-degree murder, and the punishment won’t be light.”
That possibility had already been discussed with Cristian. She continued, not holding back, “We’re talking a minimum of ten years behind bars, maybe even life. And in the worst case… death row.”
? ?
A flicker of fear passed through Ayla’s eyes, but it vanished as quickly as it came.
“I’m aware,” Ayla replied with a shrug, lips tugging into a defiant grin. “So what? Where are you getting at?”
“If you weren’t acting alone…” Hadley leaned forward, refusing to let the conversation end there. “Someone gave you instructions, didn’t they? It was Linda. Tell me I’m wrong.”
After letting the silence stretch a little longer, Hadley pressed on. “Linda didn’t handle things herself, did she? She instructed Abigail to carry it out. Your mother has already been located—she confessed that you handed her a million in cash. Now the only piece missing is Abigail.”
Not a word came from Ayla as she listened, her gaze fixed on Hadley, unblinking and unreadable.
When the explanation ended, Ayla finally broke the silence. “That’s it? Are you finished now?”
.
.
.