CHAPTER 3: The Truth Beneath the Fire
The truth came out in fragments.
Ugly.
Twisted.
Unforgivable.
There had been no accident.
No tragic loss.
Lily had witnessed something she wasn’t supposed to see—her grandfather meeting with men involved in illegal dealings that could destroy everything the family had built.
She was just a child.
But she had seen enough.
Panicked, they made a decision.
A monstrous one.
They staged the fire.
Declared her dead.
And hid her away.
“Just until things were safe,” his mother-in-law sobbed.
Marcus’s grip tightened around Lily.
“She’s been locked in a dark room for four years,” he said slowly. “That’s your definition of safe?”
His wife shook her head violently, tears streaming down her face.
“I didn’t know… Marcus, I swear I didn’t know—”
He looked at her.
And for the first time… he believed her.
Because her pain was real.
May you like
Raw.
Shattering.
