âAre you sure? Because I distinctly remember someone ki*sing me and giving me air.
â
âWhat ?â
Cyrusâ mind raced.
Nathaniel, that son of a bitch!
I regretted not being more ruthless with him last night.
I should have thrown the jerk back into the river to freeze to death! Cyrus thought.
âYou werenât exactly coherent at the time.
Youâre probably remembering it wrong.
â
Lucinda wasnât convinced.
She looked into his eyes and pressed, âDonât lie to me, Cyrus.
â
âI canât lie to you.
Itâs the truth,â he insisted, locking eyes with her.
Lucinda knew her brother so well.
Even though she suspected he wasnât telling her the whole truth, she couldnât force him to reveal anything if he didnât want to.
So she switched the topic.
âWhere is Nathaniel? Where was he last night?â
âHow would I know where he was? That guy is always getting into trouble.
This time itâs probably because of him Eleanor caused you so much trouble.
Donât worry about him, I locked him up in the Bay Villa and he canât go anywhere.
â
Lucinda frowned and opened her mouth to speak.
But before she could get any word out, Cyrus picked up the soup and spoon.
âCome on, Lucinda.
Drink more.
Mary made it just for you.
It will make your wound heal faster.
â
In the basement of the Bay Villa, someone was coughing violently and uncontrollably.
The sound reverberated through the room, making him feel even more isolated and scared.
Nathaniel lay curled up on the cold floor looking so weak.
His face looked ashen from the intensity of his coughing fits.
He was shivering, yet his body was very hot.
He knew his consciousness was fading, and he fought hard to stay awake.
Abel, who got along best with him, was still recuperating in the hospital.
Cyrus had ordered Leon and Conor to lock Nathaniel in the basement without any food, water, or even Light.
He had spent over ten hours alone in the dark basement.
His fever rose higher with each passing minute.
If he didnât get help soon, he might not survive.