Resent, Reject, Regret

Chapter 22 Jinx

The voice sounded youthful. It belonged to a woman -a furious young woman.

Deirdre could feel her heart shrinking in dread. “Who are

you?”

“Who am I? Who am I?!” Eva Heinemann gaged as she sized Deirdre up with unreserved contempt. “Sterling is doomed because of you! Because of a stupid, irritating blind woman like you!”

Deirdre’s hands closed around the fabric of her own dress. “What happened to Sterry?”

“What happened? Ha! Do you know how much Sterling has sacrificed to protect you? They took his picture – the media took his picture and spread it all over the internet, and now he’s doxxed! The internet is canceling him! Do you know how big of a deal this is to a doctor? Saving and curing people is literally his job! And now, thanks to you, he can’t ever work in a public hospital again!

“And that Brendan Brighthall-he led the charge to

cancel the Fuller family! Do you know that? Any deal his business ventures made that was even remotely connected to the Fullers has been automatically voided, but oh, there is more! He threatened everyone – literally anyone-out of working with the Fullers. Failure to comply automatically means they are going against him, the most powerful man in the city!

“Do you get it yet? Do you understand that you, Deirdre McKinnon, are the reason sh*t hit the fan?! You jinxed him-you jinxed your own hero the moment he protected you to make sure you stayed out of the picture! You’re a f* cking catastrophe!”

Deirdre felt her heart sinking into an icy abyss in her stomach. Her feet felt like lead.

I want

gonna take that chance? Besides, you can’t even if you want to. His family took

to even protect him instead of, I don’t know, grill

and

but I’m begging you: Make this go away! Settle whatever this is between the two of you and make Brighthall stop canceling the Fullers! You’re ruining his life, Deirdre! Doesn’t that mean anything

she really was a walking jinx. She cursed everyone who

she said under her breath, her head low. She clenched her fists so hard her fingernails turned ruddy. She then lifted her head again and stared ahead, her eyes as liseless as ever. “I caused this, so I… I’ll end this. I’ll tell

wanted to hear,

away.

Her fingers flew on the number pad, typing a string of numbers she had memorized and could

call was connected. “It’s me,” she said. Every word she spoke summoned a wave of agony, as if every sound she made felt like lodging

He sounded pleased

the

put her phone away. She hailed a ride to the building, armed with only her walking stick, and made her way to the entrance before being immediately shoved away by security. “Go away. This ain’t a food canteen, hobo. You don’t deserve

here!”

ruined face seemed to have

the pain

and got to her feet again.