Chapter 5 - Whispering Secrets in the Dark
As dusk settled over Lake Michigan, casting long, bruised shadows across the stone facade of the mansion, Willa turned off the harsh overhead lights.
She pulled her chair right beside the head of Everett’s hospital bed, resting her elbows on the mattress near his motionless shoulders.
“You probably think I’m crazy for talking to a man who can’t even blink,” Willa began softly, her tone laced with gentle self-awareness.
“Maybe I am crazy, but sitting in that car outside the diner made me realize nobody in this city cares who lives or dies.”
She reached out and took his large, cold hand in hers, wrapping her fingers securely around his palm despite the IV lines and plastic tubing.
“Sterling thinks he’s already inherited your shipping empire, your warehouses, and your army of men down by the Chicago river docks.”
She felt a faint, almost imperceptible warmth respond against her skin, as if his body was fighting desperately to break through the chemical paralysis.
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“If you wake up, Everett, you’re going to have to do a lot of explaining about why you let your cousin run your life into the ground.”
For the first time since entering the estate, a soft, melancholy smile touched the corners of Willa’s mouth as she waited for the monitor to reply.
