Page 7 of Burning Your Lies

The name rings a bell.I’ve seen that name somewhere.“Thank you.” I stand. “I need to get going. I’m heading to the office.”

His eyebrows shoot up. “So late?”

I smile at him. “I need to pick up some paperwork. I have a contract to review. A client is complaining they didn’t receive all the equipment they ordered.”

Xavier walks me to the door. “I tried to save her. I so badly wanted…”

I believe him. Xavier wanted a future with Savannah. But the deeper I dig into him, the more I understand that the futureof any woman who catches his attention is cut short. Because Xavier is never satisfied. I met that side of him when I stood by his side as he grew his company into an empire. Despite his achievements, he desired more.

Between us, we have shared fifteen years of friendship. There is a part of me that doesn’t want to believe the truth I’m piecing together. Xavier has always been a good friend to me. He’s been a brother to me. I welcomed him into my childhood home. He’s sat at dinner with my family. We’ve shared drinks and laughter together.

I don’t want to go down this path of taking him down. I almost want to tell him to hand himself in and get some help. I want to believe that there is some good in there. But Savannah’s current state is proof that there is no helping him.

I stroke Elise’s cheek. “Some people just can’t be saved.”

I head straight to the back as lights in the storage room turn on. I search for something that may not exist. Even if it exists, Xavier may have filed it away somewhere else. I’m hoping his obsessiveness forced him to place it with the other order sheets. I scour through three boxes before my eyes land on the name.

Mr Victor Roberts.

I look at the location it was delivered to.

Brighter Futures Care Home.

I close my eyes and sigh. The security cameras were delivered and installed only three weeks before Savannah was admitted there.

Any chances of freely speaking to Savannah have just gone out of the window because this homicidal bastard thought of everything. He is probably sitting at home right now, holdinghis daughter in his arms as he continues to watch her through cameras.

Just as I feel defeated, my heart sends a single beat of joy.

This means she’s still alive.

5

Savannah

Six months. Six monthsof being here. Six months of silence. Six months ofnothing.

Every other day someone comes to visit, but I have nothing to say because nothing matters. Huxley comes more than anyone. Sometimes he speaks to me. Sometimes he sits with me in silence. I imagined breaking down and begging him to save me. But I had done that once and I’m still sitting like a corpse in this home.I just don’t care anymore.

Dr Cooper said I don’t present as someone with schizophrenia. He said I present as someone with trauma. It was the first time I looked at him. It was also the first time I felt some hope. But that was quickly quashed when I realised Xavier still holds the keys to my freedom.

“Savannah, there’s a letter for you.” She places it down on the bed in front of me.

I recognise Huxley’s handwriting instantly. On his previous visit, he mentioned Dr Cooper’s suggestion of using letters for communication. He believes that written communication may be easier than verbal. Huxley also promised to send a picture ofmy mum with it. Desperate to see her face, I pull the pages out of the opened envelope.

A gasp escapes when I see her frail face. My fingers brush over the image and my eyes close trying to imagine it’s her skin I’m feeling. The cancer treatment has taken away the little bits of plumpness she had. Her irises seem darker. She timidly smiles at the camera and I almost laugh at the mental image of a moody Huxley asking my mum to smile before snapping her picture. I hold the image to my chest and allow my tears to fall.

I miss you, mum. I’m so sorry I let this happen.

Needing something to snap out of my grief before it overwhelms me, I grab Huxley’s letter. My mind, stuck in thoughts of my mother, barely registers the words. I take a deep breath and try again.

Sweetheart,

I hope you read this letter to the end. There is so much I wish I had the courage to say, but I am afraid to expose how vulnerable you make me. Even when it is just the two of us in the confines of your room, it feels as though the world is watching me fall to your feet. No matter where we go, people are watching me, an undeserving man, steal your love. I want to hide us away. I should have said this to you long before you begged me to slay your dragons; I know that. But it is not too late. I am still in the snakes’ den, sweetheart. I just need you to come back. Please. Come back to me because I miss you. I am here and I promise to slay the dragons for you.

Since you’ve been gone, I feel eternally lost. The life I once loved entirely has vanished. I can’t find any trace of it, no matter how hard I search. And I have tried, sweetheart. I threw myself into work. I visited my family. I visited a club in search of a woman. But you were right there, occupying my mind. I cannot forget the nights we spent together in your bed. The way your fingers trailed over my body. The warmth of your bodyagainst mine. Our repeated explosions of passion. I cannot let go of that Savannah. She was fierce, determined and a fighter. I know she is still in there.

Let Dr Cooper help bring her out. Make the most of your private sessions with him. Nobody can hear your most intimate thoughts in that room. It’s just you and him. If you want me there, I’d come. You can ask Dr Cooper to let me join your session and then maybe we can both finally say the things we were too afraid to speak before. The first thing I will say is that I love you, and I am sorry. I am sorry I didn’t see the signs before and get you the help you needed. For now, you’re in the right place. And with the right support, you will get out.

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