Page 38 of The Truth Between

Molly walked away, and I was left standing in the foyer, running through the information I’d just heard and debating if it was wise to enter Soren’s office.

Shoving my conversation with Molly aside, I approached Soren’s office as my heart thumped out of control. I needed to do this and be fast, just in case Soren came back soon.

I looked around the hallway to see if Molly might have come back to talk to me or if Franklin was wandering around. Seeing neither, I turned the doorknob and stepped into the room.

Soren’s office looked similar to how it had when he’d caught me in there a few days ago. The only thing that seemed to be missing was the silver tray and its contents, which had been knocked over and scattered all over the floor.

My heart was thumping against my ribs as I stepped farther into the office after making sure to close the door behind me. Instead of taking in his office, all my focus was on the corner where I’d hidden several days ago. I quickly walked over to the bookcase and stood in front of one of the doors in this house that had perplexed me since I’d come across it. Without a second thought, because there was no time to waste, I grasped the knob before turning it, and instead of being greeted by a locked door, it opened with ease.

The first thing I was greeted with was the smell of dust and neglect. It was obvious that this room hadn’t been cleaned in a while and I couldn’t help but wonder why. But that was the only thing I knew because I could barely see in there. Figuring that the most likely place for me to find a light was along the wall, I shifted inch by inch along it. Creeping forward and staying close to the wall, I hoped I wouldn’t end up falling flat on my face or tripping over something.

I paused for a split second when I found the switch. With a flick of my wrist, light filled the room, illuminating every corner. My pulse pounded in my ears as a gasp slipped past my lips.

23

IRIS

As the room flooded with light, the first thing my eyes landed on was a portrait in the center of the room. The resemblance was uncanny—same hair color, the same face shape, even the same piercing blue gaze that seemed to look right through me. If I hadn’t known the truth, for a moment, I might have believed I was looking into a mirror rather than at a painting. However, this wasn’t me, but I had no doubts about who it was.

Eden Marsden Grant.

The fact that she looked so similar to me when my hair was my natural color tripped me up once more. Her dark hair was pulled into an updo and there was a hint of a smile on her face.The portrait showed Eden’s back, with her looking over her shoulder at the person painting the picture. The background was a lighthouse and the cliff that it sat on, looking over the water below.

So many questions floated through my mind as I looked at the painting that was almost a mirror image of me. A chill that settled into my bones made me shiver as I took in the painting. I couldn’t take my eyes off it.

I took one step and then another and another until I was standing directly in front of the portrait. I knew she didn’t have the answers to the questions I was seeking, but I was still drawn to the display in front of me.

My fingers trembled in the air, hovering a few inches away from the canvas. It almost felt as if there was this magnetic pull between it and me, one that I don’t think I’d ever be able to explain. The silence in the room vanished. I swear I could hear the crashing of the waves against the cliff, feel the spray of salt water on my face, and see the light coming from the lighthouse as it shined through the darkness.

I traced the outline of the frame, being careful not to touch the actual artwork itself. I couldn’t help but wonder how long it had been back there, given that there was no show of wear and tear on the portrait.

My lip trembled as I stopped myself from talking to the painting and, therefore, talking to myself. I wished she was here to give me some insight on Soren and how the hell I could get out of this prison, but all she could do was stare at me with her crystal-blue eyes forever in that painting.

I shook my head as if to remove the trance the painting had put me in from my brain. I only had a limited time back there and needed to use it wisely. Having no idea when Soren left nor when he was planning to return, I needed to get a move on looking around, stat.

I turned away from the portrait, allowing my gaze to sweep over the room. Boxes were all around, and I covered my mouth as I sneezed from all the dust. When I sneezed again, I froze. Could someone have heard all the commotion?

I froze in place, listening to see if I could hear any footsteps indicating that someone was coming closer to where I was. Seconds felt like years as I waited to be caught once more, and all I could think about was that I must have a death wish if I couldn’t control my desire to investigate things like this. But when no one showed up, I was able to breathe again, dust-filled air and all.

My heart raced as I approached several of the boxes. There had to be something here, some sort of clue in all this clutter. I refused to leave this room empty-handed without an idea about how to escape this house or something that might give a hint as to where Eddison Payne’s documents were. I sifted through the contents, trying to pinpoint if any of the things I was looking at could be another piece of the overall puzzle.

I was about to give up hope when a folder tucked in one of the boxes caught my eye. It was odd to me because it was the only folder in that box, and it was surrounded by what appeared to be old books and notebook paper that had been ripped in half. With trembling fingers, I grabbed the folder and then opened it. A single piece of white printer paper was inside. After I skimmed the contents, my mouth dropped open in shock.

It was a document that talked about the history of the Chevaliers Headquarters, including mentioning that their most important documents were being held there. Could this be where they kept all the documents related to their founding?

I slammed the folder closed and growled in frustration.

Had I been looking in the wrong place the entire time?

My mind raced with possibilities of how I could sneak into the headquarters without getting caught. After a few seconds, I came up with a plan that sounded like it belonged in a B-rated action flick versus something that I could achieve in real life, and I quickly shoved the idea aside because I didn’t have time to think about this now when I still needed to escape this mansion in order to be able to somehow travel from here to New York City to the Chevaliers Headquarters.

As I put the folder back where I found it, one of the other pieces of paper caught my attention. I picked it up and noticed the very neat handwriting of the person who wrote it. After skimming the words and trying to piece together which half went with which, it didn’t take me long to discover it was part of a long letter that Eden had written for Soren.

Dear Soren,

I know you’re going to tease me about writing a letter to you versus just telling you this, but I figured this could be a way to memorialize our friendship forever. However, I’ve been sitting here for a while, trying to find the right words to write to express what I want to say. It’s kind of funny how sometimes words can’t capture everything you’re feeling, right? But I’ll give it a go.

First and foremost, I want to say thank you. Given everything you’ve done to help me throughout the years, the sentiment seems so small in comparison, but I hope you truly understand the magnitude of what you’ve done. By marrying me, you saved my life, and I don’t think it’s something I’ll ever be able to pay back, but damn it, I’ll try.

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