Burn the Marriage, Keep the Crown novel Chapter 213

When Serena opened her eyes, the faint scent of flowers greeted her.

She turned her head and saw a vibrant bouquet of lilies on the bedside table.

“You’re awake?” A gentle yet steady voice cut through the quiet.

Serena slowly shifted her gaze until she saw William in his wheelchair by the window.

Sunlight spilled across his face, softening his features. His eyes were as warm and bright as always, but this morning they seemed shadowed by weariness—a subtle, grayish fatigue beneath the kindness.

Serena blinked. “Weren’t you supposed to be in Alderburg?”

William’s smile was reassuring. “I finished up business there and came right back.”

She tried to push herself upright, but William gently stopped her.

His hand was broad and warm—so different from Aaron’s, whose touch was always cold and distant.

“The doctor said you need to rest,” William said, watching her with concern flickering in his eyes.

The doctor had also mentioned that Serena must’ve been under a lot of stress lately for her to collapse so suddenly. William didn’t want to imagine what she’d gone through while he was away in Alderburg.

Serena lowered her head and murmured an acknowledgment, but Bella’s words echoed in her mind again.

Those words stung like needles, setting her thoughts buzzing and restless.

“It wasn’t you.”

William’s voice broke the silence, startling Serena.

She looked up at him, confusion and pain flickering in her eyes.

“I mean it,” he said, firm and certain, as if he’d been there himself. “You had nothing to do with your father’s death.”

Serena stared at him, surprised. “How... how did you know what happened before I fainted?”

“Gabrielle told me,” he explained.

Serena remembered now—just before she lost consciousness, she’d heard Gabrielle calling her name.