The Call Boy I Met in Paris – Episode 56
Sophie woke to gray morning light and the dull ache left behind by the sedative. Her mouth felt dry, her limbs unnaturally heavy, and fragments of the previous night returned without order: Stella’s smile, the bitter drink, a camera flash, and Ted calling her name. For several seconds, she could not tell which memories were real.
Justin slept in the chair beside the bed, his head tilted back and one hand still resting near hers. The sight should have reassured her, yet confusion arrived first. “Why are you sleeping there?”
His eyes opened immediately. “The doctor suggested you rest, and I wanted to monitor you.” He reached for the water on the nightstand. “Drink slowly.”
Sophie pushed herself upright and accepted the glass. “I thought it was all a dream.”
“You remember the café?”
She nodded, then searched the room. “Where is Ted?”
Justin’s expression cooled despite his effort to hide it. “He left. You were unconscious all night. Did you expect him to stay over?”
“He found me.” Sophie looked at the hospital band on her wrist and felt panic return. “I need to call him.”
Justin picked up her phone before handing it over. “Put him on speaker.”
She studied his face, recognizing the jealousy beneath the demand. Ordinarily she would have challenged it, but her thoughts were still moving through fog. She called Ted and activated the speaker before he could object.
“Sophie?” Ted answered at once. Relief roughened his voice. “How are you feeling?”
“Like I was hit by a truck. What happened after you found me?”
“The hospital released you once your condition stabilized. I have already dispelled the trending headline about us. My statement and the medical report are circulating now.”
“Trending headline?” Sophie repeated.
Justin leaned toward the phone. “Why are you talking to my wife like that? Stop calling her and sounding so husky.”
Ted went silent. Sophie turned slowly toward Justin, disbelief fighting with reluctant amusement. “First of all, I am the one who called him. Second, are you a little jealous?”
“No.” Justin answered too quickly. He took the phone, ended the call after confirming Ted had preserved the café evidence, and placed it out of Sophie’s reach. “Tell me what happened.”
The humor vanished. Sophie remembered Stella lifting the glass and the terrible satisfaction in her eyes. “She called me there because she knew I had discovered the truth about the painting. I just did not think she would spike my drink.”