His voice was soft, almost tender, and it made me sick.
“Does your head still hurt? Try moving a little. Tell me if anything feels wrong.”
His phone rang. I knew that ringtone. It was Nivianne. He ignored it for once, and instead he held my hand tightly like I was something precious.
I tried to pull away but he wouldn’t let go.
“Wilbert,” I whispered, “if I told you I heard that man say he was following Nivianne’s orders… would you believe me?”
He froze, then frowned, and finally let go of my hand. His voice turned cold. “Anika, stop it. You’re imagining things. Nivianne is a victim too. If it weren’t for you, she would be the one in this bed right now. How could she be behind this?”
I let out a bitter laugh. My eyelashes trembled as I turned away from him. I didn’t even have the strength to argue. What was the point? He never believed me.
I closed my eyes, too tired to keep fighting.
“I know you’re upset with her,” Wilbert said softly. He brushed his hand through my hair like he was soothing me. “I promise, once everything settles down, I’ll keep less contact with her. Just trust me.”