Revenge: Once His Wife, Now His Regret - Chapter 71: Chapter 71

Slam!
The second Abigail finished, she slammed the door.
Finally, some peace and quiet, but Sally's mind was a complete mess.
She couldn't shake the image of her and Jaxon, that intimate moment playing on a loop...
Sally figured the whole clinic drama was behind her. The last thing she expected was for the instigator to show up on her doorstep.
She'd been away from the clinic for two days. With Lillian back at school, Sally was ready to get back to work.
The morning was swamped with patients. If Carlos had been on his own again, he'd have been buried. Good thing she made it in.
Things quieted down during the lunch break.
Sally ducked out to grab takeout from the place next door. She and Carlos were just sitting down to eat.
"Well, look at you two, having lunch?"
They'd barely taken a couple of bites when a familiar voice cut through the air.
Sally glanced up, her face instantly hardening at the sight of the woman approaching.
Elise, a container in hand, was striding right for them.
Sally tapped her phone, pausing the video she was watching. She quickly hit record and flipped the phone face down on the table.
Meanwhile, outside the clinic.
Jaxon was on his way to a site visit and, since he was passing by, had asked Caleb to drop off some pastries for Sally.
They were Lillian's favorite, and Jaxon hoped a little sugar rush might cheer the kid up.
Caleb had just reached the clinic door when he felt the vibe was way off.
He paused, ducking slightly to get a better look inside.
The air inside was thick with tension.
Carlos, oblivious, glanced up at the woman.
He'd never seen her before. "Sally, a friend of yours?" he asked.
"Enemy," Sally said, putting down her chopsticks. Her voice was cool as she locked eyes with Elise.
"Enemy?" Elise's expression soured. "Mrs. Zale, we're not best buddies, but I wouldn't say we're enemies, would you?"
Sally didn't even bother to answer, just leaned back in her chair.
She gave Elise a flat look. "What are you doing here? You're not welcome."
Elise plunked the container down on their table, looking down her nose at Sally. "You run a clinic, right? That means you're in business. Turning away customers now?"
Sally's voice was ice. "I told you last time, loud and clear- I'm not interested in your business. If that's all, get out. I have actual patients coming, and you're in the way."
"I just brought you some lunch," Elise said, her voice dripping honey. "Consider it an apology for what happened before."
Sally looked up. Elise was all smiles.
But Sally didn't miss the flicker of calculation in her eyes.
'This woman is bad news,' Sally thought.
"I spent ages making this for you! I really hope you enjoy it... " With that, Elise leaned over and popped open the container.
A puff of steam escaped, carrying with it the distinct, slightly bitter aroma of an herbal remedy.
"Is that... traditional medicine? What kind of lunch is that?" Carlos asked, sitting up straighter and eyeing the contents.
Elise snatched up the container, a smirk playing on her lips. "It is! You know what they say, 'physician, heal thyself.' This is a special brew I made just for her. She's been terribly under the weather, you see... "
The words were barely out of Elise's mouth when Sally saw something shift in her eyes—a nasty glint.
Suddenly, Elise lunged, flinging the hot liquid straight at Sally's face.
Sally, anticipating trouble, was already moving, jumping to her feet.
The herbal concoction splashed across the side of her white lab coat instead of her face.
It must have cooled a bit since being brewed; it wasn't scalding, but it was definitely still hot.
Carlos, sitting right next to her, got hit too. The stuff splattered on his sleeve and the back of his hand.
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Carlos yelled, leaping to his feet, furious. "Splashing Sally with that stuff! Are you insane?"
"So? How's that for a remedy?" Elise ignored Carlos, her gaze fixed on Sally, a manic glint in her eyes. "Think it'll cure what ails you? If not, I can always brew some more... "
She let out a wild laugh, then slammed the empty container onto the floor.
"You're nuts!" Carlos shouted, really worked up. "That stuff was hot! That's assault! We could call the cops on you, you know that?"
Before he could say more, Sally calmly raised a hand.
Carlos immediately clammed up, stepping back to watch.
"Miss Tatum, what exactly is this supposed to be?" Sally asked, brushing at her drenched lab coat, her voice surprisingly even. "You set up my clinic, a little stunt I haven't forgotten, and now you waltz in here looking for more trouble?"
Carlos's eyes narrowed as he listened. So *this* was the witch who'd been messing with them!
"I heard you slapped Lena. Because of me?" Elise's eyes were dark, a hard glint in them.
A small, knowing smile played on Sally's lips.Sally's lips curled into a faint smirk.
'Ah, so that's it,' she thought.
"I didn't hit her because of *you*," Sally stated plainly. "She crossed a line, said things she shouldn't have, and frankly, pissed me off. That's why I slapped her. If Lena has a problem with me, why doesn't she come say it to my face? Why is she sending you, her little lapdog, to do her dirty work, not once, but twice? When did she get so gutless?"
"You're the gutless one!" Elise shot back. "Lena didn't send me this time. I came on my own!"
"Oh, she didn't send you *this* time?" Sally pounced. "So, you're saying... she *was* the one who put you up to framing my clinic before?"
Elise, flustered and angry, snapped, "Yeah, so what if she did?"
The words hung in the air. Everyone stared at Elise.
A slow smile spread across Sally's face. "Well, well, well... so that's the truth of it."
Elise froze, realizing she'd said way too much.