Chapter 79

Stanley didn't press for more information. Aside from glancing at Samuel once when stepping out of the cottage, he didn't pay him any more attention. He didn't even say hello. He checked the soup, ladled a bowl, and brought it into the cottage. He said, "Drink." Zara followed him in, acting like she'd been there a hundred times. But when she heard him talking to someone, she wanted to politely step out. Then, she heard a familiar voice. "Is this really drinkable?" "El?" Zara walked in again to see Elise's pretty face come into view. She was astonished. "Why are you here?" Stanley was a renowned traditional medicine practitioner, but he'd stopped taking on new patients in recent years, unless they were old acquaintances or the issue was extremely serious. Elise didn't look seriously ill, and she shouldn't have had any way of knowing Stanley. Zara was even the one who'd introduced Samuel to her. And back when Elise and Zara were still friends, her life at home had been a mess. Eve