Page 39 of The Truth Between

Even if I can’t repay you, I promise to be there for you whenever you need me. That’s outside of the fact that you’re now stuck with me as your WIFE.

Love you loads (even if that sometimes annoys you),

Eden

My fingers tightened around the pieces of paper as I devoured each word once more. There was no way this could be true, was there?

I walked backward until my back hit a wall. The Soren Eden had described was unrecognizable compared to the man that I knew. I couldn’t help but wonder if she was the reason he’d become the way he was. If all of this was a result of a wound that was too deep to heal.

If what I’d put together was accurate, it made me see Soren in a slightly different light. That made the picture of the monster in my mind more convoluted, but I didn’t have time to process it. I needed to get out of here as soon as possible for fear of facing Soren’s wrath. I put the papers back where they belonged and quickly left the hidden room.

Once I was back in Soren’s study, I ran over to the door that would lead me to the hallway and paused for a moment to see if I heard any indication someone was nearby.

Fortunately, I couldn’t hear anything, so I opened the door slowly. I stepped out into the hallway and looked around to make sure that no one was there. I could feel my heart racing as I made my way toward the stairwell.

It was a delicate balance trying to look as if I hadn’t been snooping around the house, but I didn’t want to risk anyone questioning me about where I’d been.

I kept my eyes peeled for any sign of movement while trying to be as quiet as possible. Soon, I reached the stairs and began walking up. I continued to remind myself that I couldn’t run because it might draw attention to me.

After a few more seconds, I reached the guest room without any incident. As soon as I shut the door behind me, I leaned against it and all my muscles seemed to relax simultaneously. For a moment, it felt like this whole ordeal had been nothing but a dream.

But that was only until reality sank in again with a jolt and reminded me of everything that had just happened. In order not to draw any suspicion from Soren or anyone else in the mansion, it was important for me to act normal despite all these thoughts running through my mind.

24

IRIS

Exhaling a heavy breath, I ran my hands down my face as I stepped away from the guest room door. Each step meant that I was farther away from what I’d discovered in the small room next to Soren’s office. As I pulled on the chair sitting in front of the desk, it creaked softly, something I’d grown used to, given how much I found myself doing this exact same motion. Sitting down, I took a moment to pause. This room was the only place in this house where I could feel slightly settled, beyond the chaos that seemed to surround me with every step I took here. I took a moment to gather my thoughts and feelings.

Once that was done, I reached for the notebook that I’d been using to process what had been happening here. It opened with ease, used to my constant use, and flipped to a new page. I picked up the pen that had been resting beside it, and soon, the words began to flow from my mind and onto the pages below.

Much like the times I’d written in the book before, I made sure to be careful about what I was writing because I didn’t want to reveal everything I knew. I didn’t know who might be reading this, and I didn’t trust Soren as far as I could throw him. And he’d already mentioned having watched me, so I’d been especially careful since that night he’d found and fucked me in the forest. Thinking about that made me shiver for a second and I hated myself for wishing something like that would happen again.

I was willing to say that nothing here was as it seemed. It never really had been. It was difficult to tell what was steeped in reality and what was a complete lie. I had to question everything and the answers that I found only led to more questions. It was as if the answers I’d found in my search were like a key that opened one door, but once I’d stepped inside, I was confronted by a hallway with more locked doors with no way to escape. Fitting, given the door near the very room I was in that I still hadn’t managed to get into. I continued writing, enjoying the ability to somewhat put what I was thinking on paper. It gave me the opportunity to dissect my thoughts a bit and untangle the items that I could.

When I was done, I tossed the pen down and closed my eyes, choosing to take time to rub my temples to ease the tension that was growing in my head. My fingers moved in gentle circles, attempting to soothe the dull pain.

No matter what, everything circled back to Soren, no matter how much I tried to not think about him. There were so many things that only he knew the answers to, and I wasn’t sure if I’d ever get the answers to all of my questions.

When the door to the guest room creaked open, I tensed. I cracked my eyes open slightly and bit back a big sigh. He must have known that I was thinking about him and decided to grace me with his presence.

Soren was standing at the threshold. Holy shit. I’d just managed to get out of Soren’s study before he got home. Did he know that I was in there? He waited until I’d given him my full and undivided attention before he strolled into the room. “I have an update on your request to see your grandmother.”

If all my focus hadn’t been on him before, it definitely was now. “Yes?”

“I can’t let you see her in person, given the circumstances we are under.”

My heart dropped to my feet. I wasn’t sure how to feel about this news, and because of everything I’d just experienced, my emotions froze.

“But we can set up a video call so that you can talk to and see her.”

I nodded slowly, feeling a mix of disappointment and relief. “Okay,” I said, trying to keep my voice steady. “When can we have the call?”

“Tonight,” Soren replied, his eyes never leaving mine. “I’ve arranged for a secure video call to be set up in my office in thirty minutes. I’ll come up and get you and will be with you the entire time. By the way, your grandmother thinks that you’ve been studying abroad, so keep up that lie. Got it?”

I nodded again, feeling a sense of gratitude toward Soren for making this happen, even if it wasn’t exactly what I wanted. Having him there was annoying, but from his perspective, it made sense. This wasn’t something worth arguing about, especially given what I’d just found out. “Thank you,” I said quietly.

Soren nodded his head once in acknowledgment before turning to leave the room, closing the door behind him. As he walked away, I couldn’t help but watch him, my eyes tracing the lines of his broad shoulders and the way his suit hugged his muscular frame.

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