Chapter 8: The Truth About Vanessa
Chapter 7: The Truth About Vanessa
Lily sat cross-legged on the attic floor, reading slowly, sounding out words she barely understood.
But the meaning…
The meaning was clear.
Her mother had known.
Knew Vanessa before Lucas ever introduced her.
Knew what she wanted.
Knew what she was capable of.
Grace had written everything.
Vanessa had not come into their lives by chance.
She had planned it.
Carefully.
Patiently.
The letter explained that Vanessa had once worked with Lucas years ago—and had quietly inserted herself back into his life after Grace became ill.
“She is not who she pretends to be,” Grace had written.
“If you are reading this, Lily, then she may already be too close.”
Tears blurred Lily’s vision.
At the bottom of the letter:
The key opens the drawer in your father’s study. The truth he refused to see is there.
Lily clutched the key tightly.
May you like
For the first time since her mother died, she felt something stronger than sadness.
Courage.
