Sophie thought her freedom began with her divorce. Instead, it spiraled into a nightmare when her ex-husband was found dead a week later, and all fingers pointed to her. With no one willing to defend her, she turns to her friend, Lucas Carter who gets Drake to fight her case.Drake Hazelwood. Known for taking only one case a year, Drake has his own reasons for stepping into the courtroom, reasons tied to a hidden illness and a mysterious promise to his best friend As Sophie fights to prove her innocence, an unexpected twist binds her to Drake in a way neither of them anticipated. When the lines between professional duty and personal feelings blur, will Sophie and Drake uncover the truth behind the murder and the secrets in their hearts?
Lihat lebih banyakThe silence between them was stretching again, heavy like fog, thick enough to choke on if you weren’t careful, and Sophie didn’t know what scared her more, the fact that Drake looked like he was ready to talk, or the fact that it had taken this long for him to decide she deserved the truth.They sat by the fire that night, no food, no glasses of wine, no soft music humming in the background like the last time, just them and the low crackle of burning wood, and for once, no one was pretending things were fine.Drake looked tired, more than tired, he looked worn thin at the edges like a photograph that had been touched too many times, and his fingers were twitching slightly, as if there were words trapped under his skin trying to claw their way out.“I’ve been finding out more than I should,” he said finally, voice low, rough, not from anger but from the weight of everything he hadn’t said—and Sophie didn’t interrupt, just waited, because she knew the dam was about to break.“Everythin
Sophie was absolutely restless She lay in the massive bed that never quite felt like hers, she tangled in sheets that were too smooth, and too cold. The letters from Catherine Vale played on a loop in her mind, whispering warnings she couldn’t decipher. A name she didn’t recognize. A woman she supposedly didn’t know. But the familiarity in Miriam’s eyes haunted her, and the unease in Drake’s silence only made it worse.She turned to her side, her eyes drifting toward the window where the moon spilled silver across the carpet. The mansion was quiet—too quiet. Not even the wind dared stir. It was the kind of silence that pressed in from all sides, the kind that made secrets feel like they were breathing just beneath the surface.Her fingers brushed over the edge of her pillow, and she felt it, the softest crunch of paper. She blinked, sitting up slowly. There, tucked beneath the pillowcase, was a folded piece of paper.Her heart thumped as she opened it.“I noticed you didn’t eat much
Sophie couldn’t shake the unsettling feeling as she sat in the living room, staring at the photograph of Miriam that still rested on the coffee table. The woman in the picture was so beautiful, so elegant, yet there was something deeply familiar about her. Sophie couldn’t deny the growing realization that they looked alike, no, they almost looked like the same person. She rubbed her temples, trying to push the thought away, but it lingered, gnawing at her like a persistent itch.Her breath caught as her mind replayed Drake’s vague answer to her earlier question. “Did Miriam live here?” she had asked, unable to suppress the curiosity bubbling inside her.“Yes,” was all he had said.But then she had pressed him further, and he refused to elaborate. “Where did she stay?” Sophie had asked, her voice quiet yet insistent.Drake’s eyes had briefly avoided hers, and then he’d given an answer that didn’t make sense. “I’ll be in the office. We’ll talk later.”That was all he’d offered before re
Sophie was going through the black box again when she found the an old photograph, It was tucked beneath a bundle of letters, almost like it didn’t want to be seen. But when her fingers brushed it, it slipped free and landed face-up in her lap. She felt the breath left her lungs.The woman in the picture was smiling wide and so bright , like the world was kind. Her eyes held something soft and something so familiar but Sophie couldn’t grasp whatever it was. She wore a pale yellow dress, and the wind had caught the hem, making it lift slightly and behind her, the sunlight spilled across a garden Sophie didn’t recognize.She stared at it with mixed emotions because the woman looked exactly like her. Not a little and definitely not a maybe. The woman looked like a replica of her. With the same eyes, the same jawline and even the same way her lips tilted slightly to the left when she smiled, the curve of her neck looked identical as well.Her body went still and she kept looking at the p
The morning light crept in slowly, but Sophie was already awake, sitting by the window, legs pulled up to her chest, eyes far away. She hadn’t said much after watching the video the night before, just went quiet, her thoughts clearly louder than anything else. Drake had stayed, close enough to make sure she was okay, far enough not to smother her.She turned her head slightly when he walked in, fresh from a shower, towel around his neck, shirt damp near the collar.“We’re going somewhere,” he said.Her voice was hoarse. “Where?”He paused, met her eyes. “Where it all started.”And for a moment, she didn’t even need him to say it—she already knew.Edward’s mansion.Her heart sank a little. That place used to be her entire world. Not just brick and glass and luxury, but memories, laughter, screams behind closed doors, and love too—yes, love that somehow still lingered in the echoes of those walls. It had been home. It had been heartbreak. And Edward… Edward had once loved her so deeply,
The screen flickered to life, the shaky camera showing Edward’s study dimly lit, the light from the desk lamp casting long shadows on the walls, Edward looked like he hadn’t slept in days, his eyes were bloodshot, there was sweat on his forehead, and his hands trembled as he reached forward and adjusted the camera.“If you’re watching this,” his voice cracked, barely steady, “then I’m probably already dead… or missing.”Sophie froze, her breath caught in her throat, Drake moved closer behind her, staring over her shoulder, both their eyes glued to the screen, not a single sound passed between them except the buzz of electricity and Edward’s shaking voice.“I need you to know… I was never the real target,” Edward said, glancing behind him like someone might burst in any second, “they made me believe I had something they wanted, but this—this is bigger than me, Sophie, bigger than anything I thought I was involved in.”Her heart thumped against her chest like it wanted to escape, she tu
Being in this world alone sucks, but being in this world around people who think you’re a fool is the worst.Sophie was on the verge of insanity, her mind was going in circles, and she trying to make sense of everything in her life. First, there was Lucas, then, definitely not Drake, but he was the only hope she had left, so she couldn’t quite count him out.She huffed out a resolute sigh and walked into his bedroom, finding him sitting and working on his laptop.She sat down next to him.“Drake?” she called softly.He replied with a distracted hum, his eyes still glued to the screen.“Could you keep the laptop aside, please?” she muttered, her tone mockingly sweet.He nodded, closed the laptop, and turned fully to her.Being in this world alone sucks, but being in this world surrounded by people who think you’re a fool? That’s worse.Sophie was on the verge of insanity. Her mind kept going in circles, trying to make sense of everything happening in her life. First, there was Lucas. A
The mansion felt suffocating. Sophie had spent hours trying to find something—anything—that could tell her where Lucas had gone. But the security system was useless. The footage was gone, wiped clean like the night had never happened. Whoever had taken Lucas had planned this too well. She tried again, typing commands into the security system’s console, digging through the data logs. Nothing. The last recorded footage had been from the previous evening. After that? Blackness. Drake was leaning against the wall, watching her with his usual unreadable expression. “You’re wasting your time.” Sophie clenched her jaw. “So we just do nothing?” Drake exhaled through his nose. “There are other ways to find him.” She turned in her chair. “Like what?” Drake didn’t answer. Instead, his phone buzzed in his pocket. He pulled it out, glanced at the screen, and swore under his breath. Without a word, he walked out of the room. Sophie let out a frustrated sigh. She knew one thing—Drake was kee
The mansion felt wrong. Sophie had spent enough time there to recognize the subtle shifts in the air, the way silence could stretch too thin, the way emptiness could settle in like a living thing. But this? This was different. She knew it the second she stepped into Lucas’s room. The bed was empty. The blankets had been tossed aside, the pillows slightly dented, as if someone had left in a hurry. The lamp beside the bed was still on, casting weak light across the dark wooden floors. Sophie’s pulse spiked. “Lucas?” Silence. She moved deeper into the room, scanning for anything—any sign of where he might have gone. The window was shut. The closet door was slightly ajar, clothes hanging haphazardly. His shoes were still there. But his jacket? Gone. A sick feeling twisted in her gut. Lucas had barely been able to sit up on his own earlier. There was no way in hell he could have just—walked out. Not without help. Or not without being forced. Sophie’s st
The blood came first.Sophie Myers stood frozen, her hands trembling as she stared down at the deep crimson pooling around her feet. The silk of her pale dress clung to her thighs, stained and ruined. She blinked, trying to focus, but the sounds of the party around her, the laughter, the music, and the clinking of champagne glasses—were all drowned out by the thundering of her heart.No.Her stomach twisted violently, a sharp pain shooting through her body. She sucked in a breath, barely able to stand. Her fingers curled tightly around the edge of the marble table beside her, nails scraping against the surface.“Edward.” Her voice was small, breaking under the weight of her panic. She found him a few steps away, his back to her, perfectly poised with his colleagues. “Edward, please…”Her husband turned slowly, a glass of whiskey balanced between his fingers. His expression hardened the moment his gaze met hers, a flicker of irritation at the interruption, as though she were a child tu...
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