Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 260

"Willa! Oh my god... how are you? Where does it hurt?"

Sophie was babbling incoherently. She wanted to touch Willa but was too terrified to actually make contact, her hands hovering in the air, trembling violently.

Willa gave Sophie a faint shake of her head, trying to tell her not to worry.

But the very last shred of strength keeping her tethered to consciousness vanished the second she knew she was safe.

Sophie's tearful screams, the low murmurs of the police officers, the distant wail of ambulance sirens...

Every sound, every image began to spin, warp, and stretch, pulling further and further away.

Willa's senses slowly shut down. She didn't even have time to offer Sophie a reassuring smile before her last thread of awareness faded into an endless, empty void.

Her head dropped to the side, her body completely limp, and amid Sophie's sudden, piercing shriek, she plunged back into total darkness.

When Willa finally woke up again in the hospital, her vision was blurry, and her throat was too raw to make a sound.

She turned her head and saw a figure sitting in the chair beside her bed. She froze for a second.

She let out a bitter, self-deprecating scoff. What on earth was she still hoping for?

Corbin seemed to sense her gaze. He set his phone down and looked up at her.

"You're awake?"

"The baby..." her voice was so weak it was barely a whisper.

"Safe. The doctor said you had a high fever and slight dehydration, but the baby is perfectly fine." He stood up and poured her a glass of warm water. "Your throat needs time to recover. Try not to speak for the next few days."

Willa's tightly strung nerves finally began to loosen, and she gave a slow nod.

Corbin asked her, "Should I have Randal come over now?"

Willa flinched, panic flashing in her eyes as she shook her head frantically. She strained her damaged vocal cords, trying desperately to speak, but only managed a few broken syllables.

[Did they catch Stella?]

At the mention of Stella, Sophie immediately fired up again, her face flushed with fury. "The police took her away. They're interrogating her right now, and this time, absolutely no one can save her. Prison is too good for her. If you had been found just a little later, you could have lost the baby."

Willa grabbed her phone and typed another line: [She might be mentally unstable. If her defense attorney uses an insanity plea, we might not be able to touch her.]

Sophie read the text and froze, her expression instantly darkening. "Willa, we can hire our own lawyers."

[Let the police handle it. I don't want to deal with it anymore.]

As they were texting back and forth, Willa suddenly noticed Corbin standing off to the side, a strange look on his face.

She rasped out softly, "Mr. Sommers?"

Sophie playfully smacked Corbin's arm. "What are you spacing out for? Willa is calling you."

Corbin looked at Willa, a heavy hesitation in his eyes. "Willa, there's something I don't know if I should tell you."