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.

***

next morning, Serena opened her eyes, surprised to find

her even more was the calm that greeted her; for the first time in days, she hadn't woken

home?" she asked, a mixture of

"How are you feeling? Any

morning and learned the real reason Serena had collapsed: she'd

to look

search turned up only one clue: a few days 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.

couldn't just

hallway interrupted his thoughts: "Excuse me, does a

voice

later, Gabrielle herself swept into the room,

arms around her. "Finally!

deep lines across Gabrielle's usually bright face when she saw Serena's

Gabrielle had stumbled across 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

eventually found Serena's apartment, only to find it empty. In the end, it was a well-meaning neighbor

voice. "If you keep this up, you'll have to come stay at my place. My housekeeper will make sure