The Princess and the Pauper (Arabella and Romeo) novel Chapter 1586

The tinny ringtone of Serena's cell phone brought her back from her reverie. Glancing at the screen, she saw Martha's name flashing.

"Serena, are you okay?" Martha's voice, tinged with concern, crackled through the phone.

"Martha, why are you asking all of a sudden? What's wrong with your voice?" Serena detected a raspiness in Martha's usually clear tone. Suddenly, she heard the clatter of something falling on Martha's end.

Martha seemed to be reaching for the fallen object, and in doing so, must have snagged her wound, letting out an involuntary "Ouch."

Serena's worry spiked. "Martha, what's happened? Are you not feeling well? Are you sick?"

"No, it's—ouch—nothing." Martha's sharp intake of breath was audible.

"I'm sending a video call, hold on," Serena said quickly.

She hung up and shot a video call Martha's way, but Martha declined it.

Serena's curiosity was piqued. She kept trying, and finally, Martha, seemingly with no other choice, reluctantly accepted the video call.

When Serena's eyes met Martha's bruised face on the screen, she gasped in shock. "Martha, what happened to you? Did you fall? When did this happen? You never mentioned it!"