Anne was shocked to the core by the accusation. She couldn't believe that Carl's grandma thought she was capable of such a thing. And to think that she actually believed Sasha, who had been trying so hard to come in between her and Carl.
"No" Anne cried out, her voice rising in pitch as she struggled to control her emotions "I would never do such!" she said but Ms. Natalie looked unconvinced.
"Why would you think that in the first place," Anne's heart was shattered.
"Ms. Natalie there has to be a mistake somewhere, Anastasia isn't capable of such a thing," Noah said firmly with so much certainty. He believed Anne wholeheartedly and he knew that something was very wrong for Carl's grandma to make such a statement about Anne.
However, Ms. Natalie just stood there, facing Anne with a stern expression. She didn't know much about Anne, other than the fact that Carl cared for her deeply and would do anything for her.
Meanwhile, Anne felt a pang of sadness that Ms. Natalie believed the lies that had been told about her. It hurt to know that someone she admired would accuse her of something she never did.
"You said Sasha told you something, right? Please what did she say to you?" Noah asked Carl's grandma.
Ms. Natalie let out a long, heavy sigh, stroking her forehead as if she was overwhelmed. Anne could tell something was wrong, but she didn't know what. She waited patiently for what that heartless cop had said to this poor old woman, but Noah decided to jump in and ask again.
"What did she say to you?" he asked.
The old woman shook her head. "Sasha told me that Anne plotted with Dr. Ken to kill Carl," she said in a quiet voice.
"And you believed her?" Anne snapped, unable to contain her shock and anger. Her eyes filled with hurt as she stared at Carl's grandma.
"You know I would never do anything like that. Carl is very important to me, how could you think I could ever hurt him?" she continued, her voice shaking with emotion.
Ms. Natalie was silent for a moment, her eyes downcast. This whole situation was becoming so confusing for her.
Noah on the other hand wanted to know more about what Sasha said and why she lied to Carl's grandma. "Ms. Natalie," he said. "I know Anne, and I know that she would never do anything to hurt Carl. She cares about him so much, and she would never do anything to put him in danger. Now, I'm thinking Sasha must have had some kind of ulterior motive for telling you such a lie,"
Anne felt a wave of relief wash over her at Noah's words. She knew that he would stand up for her, and it meant so much to her to have his support.
But Ms. Natalie still looked unsure. "how sure are you, Noah?" She asked looking Anne in the eyes.
The grandmother couldn't deny the fact that Anne was the reason for Carl's insomnia and overthinking. She had heard him talking about her in his sleep, sometimes crying out her name in distress. She had noticed how different Carl was after his space with Anne. He has been distracted and preoccupied for the past weeks.
But she also knew that Anne was the one person who seemed to make him truly happy. She couldn't deny the positive impact Anne had on her grandson, even if she didn't understand it.
It was hard for Sasha to convince her because what would Anne gain from killing Carl? she has always thought of Anne as a decent person who would never hurt a fly but Sasha had managed to manipulate this woman by telling her lies about Anne.
But Noah was still certain with his claims "I'm a hundred percent sure that Anne has nothing to do with Carl's shooting" he said firmly.
"That witch Sasha is seriously getting on my nerves," He grumbled under his breath. Noah's phone rang and he glanced at the screen and saw that it was a cop from NYPD calling.
This must be important. He thought.
"Please excuse me, I need to take this call," he said to both women. He excused himself and stepped out of the hallway to take the call.
After the detective had left, Anne was alone with Ms. Natalie. Noah was no longer there to defend her from Ms. Natalie's accusations. She would've felt a bit insecure but she took a deep breath and resolved to speak for herself.
"Ms. Natalie... I think that woman, Sasha must've told you those lies because…" Anne sighed not able to complete her sentence.
"because of what? Why do you think Sasha would lie to me?"
"It's because she's in love with Carl," Anne blurted.
"What?" Ms. Natalie's eyes widened in shock, and a heavy silence hung in the air between them. She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came out. It was as if something was caught up in her throat.
Then, to Anne's horror, Ms. Natalie started coughing violently. Anne immediately rushed to her side with so much concern for the older woman's wellbeing. "Grandma!" she exclaimed, before correcting herself, "Ms. Natalie, are you alright?"
...
After Noah's phone call, He sent a text to Anne, saying he would be back soon. He rushed out of the hospital with a lot of questions in his head because he couldn't believe the news he had received from the NYPD officer. He was surprised to know that Dr. Ken's bodyguard had finally confessed some shocking information about his boss.
Noah had interrogated the bodyguard relentlessly, and finally, he had broken down and agreed to share information about Dr. Ken.
What a relief.
..
Carl's grandmother was lying on the hospital bed, a drip attached to her hand. Her eyes were fixed on Anne who was sitting on a chair close to her. Anne noticed that Ms. Natalie's cough was getting worse, so she rushed to get her a glass of water from the dispenser. Then, Ms. Natalie complained of a splitting headache, and Anne quickly alerted a passing doctor to the situation.
Quickly, the doctor made her rest and ran a few tests to check her vitals. After a few minutes, he returned with the test results, assuring Anne that the old woman's condition was not serious. She was simply stressed and she had barely had food since Carl was admitted to the hospital.
Also, hearing Anne's accusation about Sasha was just too absurd. She knows that Sasha has been friends with Carl for years and besides, she was a married woman. Ms. Natalie couldn't understand why Anne would say such a thing. She felt a mixture of shock, anger, and confusion.
But there was something about the way Anne rushed to her aid. The look of genuine concern on her face and the way she had rushed to get her a glass of water without a second thought made Ms. Natalie reconsider. Though, to Anne, every random person would've helped. But Ms. Natalie didn't see it that way.
As Carl's grandmother reflected on her current situation, she thought back to the time when she had fallen ill before. Her daughter-in-law, Sarah was cold and barely lifted a finger to help her. So, seeing Anne do the barest minimum made her wish inside her heart that she had a granddaughter like Anne who would be this caring.
Maybe Anne wasn't saying those things about Sasha out of spite. Maybe there was more to the story than she had initially assumed.
Ms. Natalie found herself caught in a battle between doubt and trust. On the one hand, she knew that Sasha had been a close friend to Carl, and it seemed impossible that she would lie about something so serious. On the other hand, she knew deep down that no matter how stubborn Anne was, she seemed incapable of such violence.
Could Sasha really be lying to her? Could she have misjudged Anne so completely?
The grief and stress of Carl's shooting had left Ms. Natalie vulnerable, and Sasha had taken advantage of that. She had preyed on Ms. Natalie's fears and emotions, feeding her lies and half-truths to further her own agenda. She saw that Carl's grandma was in tears and she seemed so desperate to know who the culprit was.
Sasha was motivated by her own jealousy and hatred for Anne. She had created a false story, claiming that Anne was never kidnapped, but had conspired with Dr. Ken to harm Carl. It was a lie, designed to turn Ms. Natalie against Anne and cast doubt on her innocence. It was also clear that Sasha had no regard for the truth or for the well-being of Ms. Natalie.
"Anastasia," Ms. Natalie said to Anne in a low voice while Anne paid full attention to her "Is what you're saying true? Is Sasha really in love with my grandson, Carl?"
Anne bit her bottom lip, trying to gather her thoughts. "I'm not sure," she admitted. "But I've seen the way she looks at him. It's not just friendly, it's more than that," she wanted to confess to Ms. Natalie about the text Sasha had sent her with Carl's phone to prove her point but she didn't.
Anne knew that revealing the text would only cause more distress for the old woman. Ms. Natalie was already stressed and exhausted. She couldn't afford to make the situation worse.
"Please believe me," Anne pleaded to Ms. Natalie and reached for her hand. "I would never hurt Carl. I care about him so much. I know I made mistakes in the past, but I've learned from them. I just want to make things right. I'm so sorry, Ms. Natalie please forgive me," she said, her voice breaking as tears welled up in her eyes.
Ms. Natalie looked at Anne. Her eyes were searching for a sign of dishonesty but all she could see was raw emotion and a deep sense of regret. She saw that this young woman was truly sorry for her past mistakes, and was desperate to make things right. She could see the sincerity in Anne's eyes, and she knew that she had misjudged her.
She reached out and embraced Anne, pulling her close and holding her tightly. "It's okay," she murmured. "We all make mistakes. I believe you,"
Carl's grandma couldn't bring herself to hate Anne anymore. The cold and hard feelings that had been building up inside her were totally gone. She didn't need any proof that Anne was innocent, she just knew it to be true. Anne's sincerity and remorse were evident, and Ms. Natalie couldn't help but feel sorry for her.
Besides, Anne had been visiting the hospital regularly since the attack on Carl despite being repeatedly asked to leave by the medical staff. She was desperate to see him because she cared so much about him.
Anne sobbed into Ms. Natalie's shoulder, She was overcome with emotion as she thought about the past and all she wanted was to make things right.
The grandmother held Anne close, letting her cry as she tried to comfort her. She knew that the only way to move forward was to forgive, and she was ready to do just that. "you wanted to see Carl right?" She Said to Anne.
Anne's eyes lit up. She couldn't believe what she was hearing. She disengaged from the hug to stare at Carl's grandma's face. "Yes! Yes of course," she nodded. "I need to see him. I need to apologize for everything that's happened,"
Ms. Natalie gave Anne a weak smile. "Then go ahead," she said softly. "I'll make sure the nurses know you're allowed to visit him,"
Anne's heart was filled with gratitude and relief, and she felt like a weight had been lifted from her shoulders. She was finally going to be able to see Carl for the first time in two days. It was like a dream come true.
*******