378: Tangled Loyalties

In the dimly lit corridors of the hospital, the tension was palpable. Maxwell, tired of his hospital facade, sat up as Emma entered the room. His voice was laced with a mix of irritation and exhaustion. "Emma, are we really doing the right thing? This pretending, it’s eating me up." Emma, her face a mask of determination softened by concern for her brother, approached his bedside. "I know it's hard, but every moment you're here, we're a step closer to drawing them out. We need to be patient." Maxwell sighed, the weight of his role in their elaborate scheme pressing down on him. "But for how much longer? I’m ready to wake up from this." Just then, Emma's phone buzzed with an alert that shifted the atmosphere from tense to urgent. She glanced at the screen for a few seconds, then sighed wearily. "It’s about Lillian," she said, her tone serious as she read the message. Everyone in the room tensed, sensing the shift in their carefully laid plans. Back at Alex’s place, the air was t