Burn the Marriage, Keep the Crown

Chapter 258

William's eyes flashed as he met Aaron's gaze across the dimly lit corridor.

A silent tension simmered between them-unspoken words and hidden motives swirling beneath the surface.

No one could say how long the standoff lasted. Suddenly, a nurse's voice cut through the quiet: "You two at the end—it's late! Head back to your rooms, please!"

At her urging, William finally broke eye contact. He spun his wheelchair around and rolled back toward his hospital room.

Aaron was just about to follow when his phone buzzed. Cynthia Lynwood's name lit up the screen-again.

He answered. On the other end, Cynthia's voice was ragged with fear: "Aaron, please you have to help me! I...I'm being "

"What's happening?" Aaron's brow furrowed in concern. But all he could hear now was Cynthia's frantic, uneven breathing.

He glanced back toward William's room, hesitated for a heartbeat, then turned and hurried away.

***

opened her eyes, surprised to find William sitting

was the calm that greeted her; for the first time in days, she hadn't woken from a nightmare. A lightness replaced

home?" she asked, a mixture of

"How are

the doctor that morning and learned the real reason Serena had collapsed: she'd simply fainted from

sent Finn to look into

ago, Penelope had come by to see Serena. No one knew what they'd talked about, but neighbors recalled that Serena had seemed unusually out of sorts afterward. Whatever Penelope had said, it

course, William couldn't

thoughts: "Excuse me,

recognized the voice instantly-it was Gabrielle

the room, her silhouette framed

her arms around her. "Finally! I've been searching everywhere for you. Why

etched deep lines across Gabrielle's usually

the news online-Serena's recent TV appearance had gone viral. Eager to see her friend, Gabrielle had tried to get in touch, but Serena had been

it was a well-meaning neighbor who told her Seren@had been

Gabrielle fussed, concern softening her voice. "If you keep this up, you'll have to come