The Room Nobody Could Enter
Chapter 02 - The Room Nobody Could Enter
Vanessa recovered quickly. She tucked the papers beneath her arm and smiled with the calm expression she used at charity dinners and company events. It was the smile that had convinced Daniel she could bring warmth back into the family after Lily and Ethan’s mother died.
“You are exhausted and emotional,” she told Lily. “Your father warned me this might happen if you came back.”
Lily did not believe her, but the words still hurt. Daniel had always chosen the easiest version of the truth. Since marrying Vanessa, he had accepted every canceled visit, every unanswered call, and every excuse that kept his children apart.
The bedroom door opened only a few inches. Vanessa slipped inside before Lily could move, then locked it from the other side. Lily heard a drawer close, water running, and a low voice telling Ethan to stay quiet. A minute later, Vanessa returned with an empty glass.
“He is sleeping,” she said. “A doctor has ordered rest.”
“Which doctor?”
“That is none of your concern.”
Lily glanced toward the security camera above the hall. Its indicator light was off. The cameras throughout Hawthorne House were never turned off, not even during storms. She also noticed that the housekeeper, Rosa, was watching from the stairs with worry in her eyes. When Vanessa turned, Rosa lowered her head and disappeared.
Vanessa began guiding Lily toward the staircase. “Leave now, and I will forget this intrusion.”
Lily stopped beside the family portrait hanging outside Ethan’s room. In the photograph, he was sixteen, smiling awkwardly beside their father. He had always hated formal clothes and pretended not to care about the family company, yet Daniel’s will granted him a future voting share. Lily suddenly understood why the transfer document mattered.
“If Ethan is too sick to speak to me,” Lily said, “he is too sick to sign legal papers.”
Vanessa’s smile faded. “You gave up your place in this family when you walked away.”
“I walked away from this house. Not from him.”
A crash sounded inside the bedroom.
Lily rushed forward, but Vanessa blocked her again. This time Lily shouted Ethan’s name. There was no answer.
Then Rosa appeared at the bottom of the stairs and deliberately dropped a tray. As Vanessa turned toward the noise, Lily seized the bedroom key from the side table, unlocked the door, and pushed past her.
May you like
The curtains were closed. The air smelled of medicine. Ethan lay beneath a white blanket, his face pale, his eyes wide open.
He looked at Lily and whispered, “You came.”
