ed looks. But she couldn't shake her ravenous thirst for the truth, which was hidden beneath a mountain of secrets and falseh

ascinating. Ethan had insisted she stay a

ng heart from a mix of anxiety and fear, she headed down the dim hallway. She stopped in front of the door, re

was inviting or sumptuous, in sharp contrast to the rest of the home. It had minimal furniture and a large desk in the middle, making it chilly and somewhat clinical. Lila's breath caug

r, treachery, and shadows that appeared to reach back into the past were all present. She was particularly drawn to one picture.

omber and determined expression on his face. As Lila

han become involved in? More so,

the corridor. With little time for her to adjust, the door flew open,

u doing here?" His voice

holding the photo tightly. "You must tell

ixed onto the picture. But in an instant, it vanished and was replaced with a harsh, icy anger

But I did. And are you going to tell me the truth

an stepped toward her. "You're not awa

ation of determination and dread. "You can't continue to ignore me and

. "Do you think I desired this? Do you really believe that I intended for any

f his remarks, Lila did not back do

y labors. And people that would take advantage of you in order to get to me. The contract you signed i

of forces are they? What does that mean for

ent. "That implies that they will pursue you if we violate the agreement and if they

they will do just anythi

, Lila's eyes grew wide. "Why didn't you

idn't want you to live in fear. I believed I was capable of managing it alone. But now, there

fusion were all swirling around in Lila's mind, but there was more than that. Even though it was terrifying, there

ding up to whatever was coming next, about surviving, and about fighting the threats that hid in t