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Chapter 2 The mask of the past

Word Count: 1798    |    Released on: 06/04/2025

memories of Samuel, the mysterious notebook, and, of course, Thomas. The absence of the notebook weighed, as if she had lost an essential part of her o

f her coat. The screen briefly lit the darkness, and it stopped. A mes

ne and Thomas had been colleagues and friends. Then, without real explanation, Antoine moved away after the disappearance of Thomas,

he message was urgent. She knew it. However, a wave of apprehension invaded him. Antoine had a

wn. She had to know. Antoine's workshop was a modest building, almost forgotten in the vibrant landscape of Rivemarine. The aged wooden walls gave off a smell of oil and rust, and a flicker

etches of boats pinned to the walls. Antoine was there, bent on an engine he adjusted with precision,

, marked by dark circles and a poorly maintained beard, seeme

Why now? she asked, her h

k out a metal box which he put on the established care. What he came out then paraly

u find that?

id Antoine, the look rivete

ed to the lost world of Thomas, it felt it. But An

? she insisted, seeking

itter smile, shaking

ell you is that this star is not just a simple sy

sounded like

ght her attention. A card hanging on the wall, marked by several red dots which seemed t

? she asked, sh

wned, visib

seawater has stopped before ... Wh

tions, but something in Antoine la braast's attitude. He was nervous, const

, she begged. I deserve answe

e turned away, his face marked b

w, Élise," he said. Believe me, som

ple? Consequences? You hide s

eel blue intensity that disarmed her. He put his ha

what you want to discover ... could put you in dang

et the secrets of the past control her. She wanted to know everything, even the dark truths. As they continued to speak, a noise

eave, he said

at ? Antoine, w

heading towards the outl

better that you are far

Outside, she found the freezing air of the port, but something had changed. She k

ail. Who were these "people" that Antoine had spoken? And why did he seem so nervous? The

e held answers, but he also seemed to be in the

the jaw tense. He scanned the darkness, his eyes running on the slightest suspicious movement in the n

but in recent months had put his composure to the test. He passed a hand in his hair in battle, as if he hoped to find answers, then walked

scinating. Antoine knew its importance - not only for Élise or even for

is mechanical skills and his easy smile. His passion for boats and the sea had led him to work on the seawater alongside

together, making them feel important. Quickly, a camaraderie had established itself between them. But Antoine had never been as carefree as Thom

ers on board, looks exchanged in the shadows, sealed boxes that always seemed to travel under the radars. He had not asked any questions at th

ack carnet connected in leather. Unlike the notebook that Élise had found, she was filled with her own writing. Dates, observations, and even sk

a greater tragedy than she could imagine. But chance-or perhaps fate-had decided o

ve, slow and calculated. His eyebrows frowned. He quickly exhausted the light from the workshop, crouched

e," he whisper

nt of his workshop, anonymous calls where no one spoke on the other side of the wire. Antoine knew what it meant: h

ded paper. On paper, an address: "Port de Valmont, quai 7. Tomorrow at midnight." It is difficult to swallow

hich he slipped under a stone placed near the entrance. She was addr

distance. T

his coat, and left the workshop in

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