Chapter 120 We went to the same college

Rachel's POV

Joyce had this frank air around her and it was impossible to miss, but that was exactly what I was looking for right now.

A frank and honest person, not just to tell me the truth about how I looked but also in my life as well. One that wouldn't lie or betray me for any reason.

" Joyce be frank, I can take it. How bad do I look?" Considering how many times that bitch of a warder slapped me, I was thinking eight or nine.

"Well..." She clinked her tongue, examining my face a little bit. " Darling, you look just terrible". She said at last and I burst into laughter.

She really was frank.

But ouch, that was a terrible move.

My headache intensified and so did my stomach ache, all because of one laughter. My laughter suddenly changed to a roll of cough, and before I knew it, I was sitting up on the bed coughing out blood with Joyce by my side, patting my back.

"It's alright, relax". She said in a soothing voice which seemed to calm me down.

After almost five minutes, the coughing reduced, and I laid back down on the bed.

Joyce sat down next to me, her expression showing how worried she was. " I don't know if I'm allowed to ask, but I just have to. How the hell did you end up in prison after less than a week of getting discharged from the hospital? " She half yelled and I squinted at the harshness of her voice.

" You wouldn't believe me if I told you".

She scoffed, crossing her hands on her chest. " Try me ".

I looked at her with a smile on my face.

I wish I could tell her, but I just couldn't. " You're with Ethan, aren't you? " I asked, pursing my lips, and she hesitatingly nodded.

" Then I can't tell you anything; I'm sorry."

" Why can't you? Rachel, all I want is to help you; how can that be limited to if I'm with Ethan or not? " She asked and I could hear from her tone that she was hurt.

But what was I to do?

" If I'm being unfair, Ethan is the main cause of my predicament right now "

Joyce's eyebrows shot up as soon as I said that, and I rolled my eyes.

"I asked if I was being unfair. " I muttered softly.

" The truth is, he didn't really do anything. I was the one who looked deeper into his actions, or maybe I looked way too little, I don't know "

I don't know anything anymore.

Joyce said scooting closer to me on the bed. " And you might never know if the both of you don't sit down and talk. You both are adults, for Christ's sake ".

"What if it turns out that I was right and he refuses to admit it?"

I could swear that Joyce almost rolled her eyes then she just shut them and sighed. " If all or any of your assumptions about Ethan are true, then honey, I would help you make him pay. " She said in a threatening yet beautiful British tone.

Not like she actually could, Ethan was very powerful. But it was the thought that counted right?

"Fine, maybe I will. But not now, though, when I'm a lot better." I said in a small voice but I was sure Joyce heard it because she nodded.

"It's alright, take your time." She said, and it was then I noticed how fluent her British accent sounded.

"Are you perhaps from the UK?" I asked curiously after a while.

Joyce nodded. "Yup. I'm British."

That explains it.

"Why did you ask?"

I shook my head, with a smile. "Nothing. Just noticing you have a beautiful accent that's all."

She was fun to talk to. Like someone,e I could just offload all my problems without having a care in the world.

She reminded me a lot about the nice female doctor who owned the hospital I was admitted to, Lenora Nielson.

"Joyce." I called the woman who was busy checking my IV tubes. "What?" She asked looking at me.

"How did you know I was in the hospital? Did Ethan tell you that too?"

I wanted to trust her, I really did but after what Marina did, or what I assumed Marina did as the case may be, I just couldn't.

For all I know, she could be working with Ethan or working for Ethan.

But what exactly would she do for him? Kill me? If she wanted to do that, she could have done it a long time ago when I was still unconscious because she looked like she had been here a while.

" Not really. I just confirmed it from him. The owner of the hospital you were in, Lenora Nielson, that's my aunt, and she told me when I got back to the country free days ago". She said fondly.

I muttered an 'oh' while nodding my head.

That was why they looked alive, in a way. They were related.

"She told me that Ethan brought a lady to the hospital and stayed with her all through the time she was unconscious and in a coma." Then she giggled softly, her smile brightening her face. "When I heard it at first, I was furious; all I thought was that maybe Ethan was cheating on the pretty damsel I saw at this house the other day. " She said with a wink at me and I looked away. Not because she called me a pretty damsel, but because she implied that me and Ethan were dating.

We never even acted in front of her, so why was she saying that, too?

Did Ethan tell her something?

"But then she explained how beautiful you looked, and then I realized it was the same person."

"Beautiful? " I scoffed trying to sit up again." I looked a mess when I was in that hospital. Olivia and Lana really meant me." Joyce came around helping me sit up.

Her expression turned to one of confusion as she sat next to me.

"Olivia? Do you mean Olivia Sangria? The actress?"

I blinked in surprise. " You know her? "

I immediately realized how stupid the question sounded as soon as it came out of my mouth.

The lady was Olivia Sangria. Anybody who watched television knew her because of how famous of an actress she was and still is.

" I meant, do you know her as in personally? " I added as a follow question before she could answer the first.

"In fact, I do. " She nodded. " We went to the same college together, together with Ethan's twin sister, Hannah. " Then she pouted her lips at me. " You do know Hannah, right? "

The way she said it made it seem like she had just called someone I ought to know, and if I don't she has just revealed a deep secret.

"Yes, I know her". I said and Joyce released a sigh of relief. "I've met her a few times. Though I think there's something off with her though"

Joyce just kept quiet and I immediately knew I was right.

There was something off with that lady but nobody was ready to let me in on it. It's not like I could blame them, though.

I wasn't really close to them to want to butt into their affairs.

"Joyce, I know you don't want to talk about Hannah, which is fine since I have no problems with her, but I just hope you won't be so tight-lipped about Olivia also."

If they went to the same college, Joyce could help me confirm some of my assumptions about her or even correct them.

Her expression turned cold " What did Olivia do? "

Oh you know she can do something?

That's good. We are definitely up to a good start.

I shrugged. "She hasn't done anything yet".

Because I just refused to allow her and Lana to end me.

' Lana is dead; stop thinking about her, for fuck sake,' I said inside, shaking my head.

"I just have a few questions about her, but first..." I rubbed my stomach which had been growling for a few minutes now.

I pouted my lips and blinked my eyes, trying to act cute "I'm hungry".

Joyce just shook her head and burst into laughter.