The silence that followed was so heavy even the heart monitor sounded louder.
Ryan slowly released my hand—not out of fear, but because he was calculating.
“Who let you in?” he asked.
“The same staff who already spoke to the police,” Ms. Parker replied. “And the forensic mechanic who examined the vehicle.”
My only ally.
My only defense.
And still, I was trapped inside my own body, unable to warn her that Ryan wasn’t alone.
Because the real danger in that room wasn’t him.
It was Claire.
She didn’t sound scared.
She sounded annoyed.
“Emily had an accident,” she said. “It’s cruel to make things up right now.”
“Interesting accident,” Ms. Parker replied. “The brakes were tampered with. They didn’t fail—they were cut.”
Footsteps moved closer to my bed.
Claire leaned near my ear, her breath warm and steady.
“That proves nothing,” she whispered. “Anyone can access a parking garage.”
But her hand trembled.
For the first time in her life—
Claire was shaking.
“Not just anyone knew Emily would take that road that night,” Ms. Parker said. “And not just anyone stood to benefit from her death.”
Ryan let out a hollow laugh.
“Benefit? I’m devastated. My wife is in a coma.”
“Your wife changed her will,” Ms. Parker said.
The room froze.
Claire stepped back.
“That’s impossible,” she said too quickly. “She would never—”
She stopped.
Too late.
“Never what, Claire?” Ms. Parker asked.
Ethan squeezed my hand tightly.
“Heard enough, didn’t he?” Claire muttered.
“That document is invalid,” Ryan cut in. “Emily wasn’t in her right mind. My sister-in-law can confirm that.”
“Emily was perfectly lucid,” Ms. Parker said. “She placed everything in a trust for Ethan. And she left instructions—if anything happened to her, neither of you was to go near him.”
That’s when it clicked.
They didn’t just want the house.
They wanted Ethan.
To control him.
To disappear him.
Something fell to the floor—a bag, maybe.
“This is getting out of hand,” Claire snapped.
Control.
That was always her word.
She controlled family dinners, finances, secrets—everything.
She stepped closer again.
“Maybe we should’ve made sure she never woke up.”
The air left my lungs.
A metallic sound followed.
Claire had taken something out.
“Enough of this,” she said softly.
“Claire, put that down,” Ms. Parker warned.
Ethan spoke before anyone else.
“Aunt Claire…”
His voice wasn’t shaking anymore.
“You said that the night of the crash too.”
The silence shattered.
“What did you say?” Ryan demanded.
“I heard you in the kitchen,” Ethan said. “You said Mom would never sign. And Aunt Claire said one curve could fix what a judge would complicate.”
Claire cursed under her breath.
“Shut up.”
But Ethan didn’t.
“You said you’d tell everyone Mom was tired. And that you’d take me away after.”
Ryan moved toward him.
“Come here.”
“Don’t touch him,” Ms. Parker said.
The metal object shifted again.
I wanted to scream.
To move.
To protect my son.
But I could only do one thing.
I moved my hand.
This time—not just a finger.
My whole hand.
Ethan felt it. He turned to me, eyes full, but stayed silent.
Claire saw it.
And smiled.
“Look at that… the dead woman wants a say.”
She locked the door.
And just as Ryan grabbed Ethan’s arm—
a voice shouted from the hallway:
“Open up! Police!”
But Claire was already too close to my son…
PART 3
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