Chapter 6: The Secret That Would Not Stay Hidden
Chapter 5: The Secret That Would Not Stay Hidden
That night, Lily could not sleep.
The attic dust still clung to her skin, and the memory of the torn envelope burned in her chest like a secret she didn’t know how to carry. She lay in bed clutching the edge of her blanket, listening to the quiet hum of the house that no longer felt like home.
Vanessa’s voice echoed in her head.
After Saturday, I will be the woman of this house.
Lily squeezed her eyes shut.
“No,” she whispered into the dark.
Across the hall, Lucas sat in his study, unaware of the storm building beneath his own roof. Wedding invitations had been sent. The caterer confirmed. The flowers ordered. Everything was perfect.
Everything except the truth.
Lily slipped out of bed.
Barefoot, she walked slowly down the hallway, her small hands trembling. She stopped outside her father’s study door. Light spilled from beneath it.
She raised her hand to knock.
Then froze.
Vanessa’s words came back again.
You don’t want to make him sad…
Lily lowered her hand.
Instead, she turned away.
But not toward her room.
Toward the attic.
If Vanessa had taken the letter… maybe there was something else.
May you like
Something her mother had left behind.
Something meant for her.
