Shadows Don’t Lie

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Chapter Eight:

I couldn’t sleep.

How could I? Every breath felt like a betrayal. Every heartbeat echoed a name I never knew was mine—Isla Vale Thompson.

Scarlett Vale's daughter.

I stood in front of the mirror, searching for something in my reflection. Her eyes? Her mouth? Or just the lies she'd left behind?

The house was silent. Except for the storm outside—nature’s way of screaming when we couldn’t.

Suddenly, a creak echoed in the hallway.

I spun.

Liam stood in the doorway, rain-soaked and breathless.

“I saw your light,” he said, voice hoarse. “Couldn’t sleep either.”

“Didn’t think you’d still be here,” I muttered, wrapping my robe tighter.

He stepped in, gaze unreadable. “I told you—I’ll wait.”

I swallowed, my voice sharp. “Wait for what, Liam? For me to forgive you? Or for the ghost of Scarlett Vale to vanish?”

“You’re not her,” he said quickly.

“But I carry her blood, don’t I?”

He didn’t answer. Silence did.

I turned away, but Liam’s words stopped me.

“There’s more, Isla.”

I froze. “What do you mean?”

He hesitated, then pulled something from his coat pocket—a USB drive. “Your mother didn’t just disappear. She planned everything. Even what would happen if you ever found out.”

“What’s on this?”

“A video,” he said. “One she made for you. If the truth ever surfaced.”

My knees buckled, but I caught myself on the edge of the dresser. “Why didn’t you show me this earlier?”

“Because I was protecting your memory of her. Turns out, there was nothing pure to protect.”

We plugged the drive into my laptop. I wasn’t ready—but I clicked Play anyway.

The video flickered to life.

Scarlett Vale appeared, sitting in a dim room, her signature red lips faded, her eyes lined with pain.

“If you’re watching this… it means I’m gone. And it means you know the truth. I didn’t die. I disappeared—for you.”

My chest ached.

“I made enemies, Isla. Dangerous men. Men who wouldn’t blink before killing a child to punish her mother. So I made your father promise to hide you. Lie to you. It was the only way to keep you safe.”

Her voice cracked.

“But you have my fire. And one day, fire burns through every lie.”

The screen glitched—then a second clip played.

Only this time… she wasn’t alone.

A shadow stepped behind her. A man.

He leaned into the frame, face barely visible—but his voice was unmistakable.

My stomach dropped.

My father.

“We agreed. The day she was born, Scarlett,” he said in the recording. “No matter what happens, Isla must never know the truth. If she does… we all pay the price.”

The clip ended. The screen went black.

I turned slowly to Liam. “Did you know he was in it?”

Liam looked haunted. “No. I swear.”

The storm outside grew louder. But it was nothing compared to the one brewing inside me.

I grabbed my coat. “Where are you going?” he asked.

“To get answers. Real ones.”

---

Twenty Minutes Later – Thompson Estate (The Hidden Office)

My father’s old study smelled of leather, dust, and secrets. I stormed in, the USB clutched in my fist.

He looked up from a file, unsurprised. “You saw it, didn’t you?”

“You lied to me my whole life.”

He sighed. “To protect you.”

“From what?” I snapped. “My mother? The truth? Or yourself?”

He didn’t respond. Instead, he walked to a hidden compartment in the bookshelf and pulled out a small box. He handed it to me.

Inside was a worn envelope.

Isla – open only when the past catches up.

I tore it open.

Inside was a letter—in Scarlett’s handwriting.

> “If you're holding this, Ron has finally run out of ways to lie. You’re my daughter. And the people who are after me… may now be after you. Don’t trust anyone. Not even Liam. Not yet.”

My hands trembled.

> “The one pulling the strings is closer than you think. And he will do anything to stay hidden… even if it means hurting you.”

> “Look for the red moon. When it rises, you’ll find the truth in ashes.”

I stared at the letter, breath catching.

“What does this mean?” I demanded.

Dad’s face went pale. “You weren’t supposed to see that.”

“Too late.”

And then I saw it—fear.

Real fear.

“What aren’t you telling me?” I asked, stepping closer. “What does red moon mean?”

But before he could answer, the office window shattered.

A rock landed on the floor.

Attached was a note: “STOP DIGGING OR SHE’LL DIE.”

I froze. “Who’s ‘she’?”

My father didn’t move.

“Who are they threatening?” I screamed.

His face twisted. “Scarlett… she might still be alive.”

The room spun

I staggered back.

Alive?

Then the window shattered again.

This time, no rock.

Just a bullet.