The Lies That Bind Us: An enthralling psychological thriller featuring a stunning surprise finale by Molly Black

Author:Molly Black [Black, Molly]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: UNKNOWN
Published: 2024-06-03T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

I wander through the darkened passages of the house, in a daze, thinking of my friend and what fate she might have met. Soon, I find myself stepping into the library, following the glow of a light.

Julian's figure is hunched over a table strewn with maps and documents, his focus absolute as he reviews the hurricane preparedness plans. I hesitate at the doorway, clutching the photograph that has convulsed my world into chaos. How do I even begin?

"Julian?" My voice is a faint whisper, fraying at the edges.

He looks up, his eyes meeting mine, and in them, I see a reflection of my own turmoil. "Lily, what's wrong?"

I step closer, the floorboards creaking underfoot like an old man lamenting his age. With each step, the weight of the secret threatens to crush me. I extend my hand, the photograph quivering between my fingers. "I found this," I blurt out. The words taste sour, unfamiliar on my tongue.

Julian rises to meet me halfway across the room, his brow furrowed with concern. As he takes the photograph from my trembling hands, the air thickens, time stretches thin. His gaze locks onto the image, and I watch as comprehension dawns.

"Lily... where did you find this?"

"In Eugenia’s locked room," I reply, my voice but a shadow. "It was with other family photos, but that girl—she shouldn't be there." My missing friend's face stares back at us from the picture, her smile a haunting enigma amidst the Caldwell family's frozen expressions. “Her name is Jenny Hope. We were friends when I was young. She disappeared and no one knows what happened to her, and yet here she is in this photo.”

His fingers trace the outline of her face as if trying to conjure her presence through touch. Julian's eyes widen, disbelief etching lines across his forehead. "I've never seen her before," he says slowly, almost to himself. "I had no idea you had any connection to the Caldwells."

"Neither did I," I whisper, my heart a drumbeat too loud in my ears. “I can only think they arranged for me to come here, through my psychiatrist.”

“You think he was in on it?” Julian says, surprised. He quickly corrects himself. “What about doctor patient confidentiality?”

We stand there, two figures ensnared by the same mystery, as the first raindrops pelt against the library windows, heralding the storm to come. Julian's turns towards the library doors.

The heavy oak door clicks shut behind me with a soft thud, sealing us in the library together. I lean back against it, my palms flat on the rich grain of the wood, feeling the thrum of Julian's concern wrapping around me like a warm shawl. He approaches, his movements cautious and measured, as if he fears that any sudden step might send me shattering to the floor.

"Do you really think this is all about your friend?" he implores, his voice low and steady.

There's a beat, a single heartbeat where I question whether I can truly trust him. But then, I remember the

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