Chapter 2
Chapter 2
#288 Vouchers
Lukas was even more desperate than I was to uncover that secret.
On the day of Blake’s funeral, Wren was so overwhelmed by grief that she drank herself into a stupor, ranting and raving in a drunken haze.
Lukas seized the moment and managed to coax the secret out of her.
Wren’s voice was barely a whisper-Lukas had to lean in close just to catch her words. But almost instantly, the same look of terror that had frozen Freya and Blake’s faces appeared on his own.
I watched this horrifying scene, my anxiety mounting, and pressed him for answers.
“What is the secret? Why are you and Wren so terrified?”
But Lukas didn’t answer. He just stood there, stunned, clinging to Wren as if his mind had gone blank with fear.
My nerves were shot. I rushed over, trying to get close enough to hear Wren for myself.
But Lukas’s reaction shocked me even more.
This book had been
added on your
Tears streamed down his face, wild and helpless. bookshelfievably, he pushed me away, forcing me back from Wren.
I snapped, “I’m pregnant! Why are you pushing me?
“What did Wren say? Why are you keeping it from me?”
No matter how hard I pressed, Lukas refused to tell me.
He looked at me, his eyes full of sorrow.
“Evie, I wish you could go your whole life without ever knowing this secret.”
I stood there, frozen, unable to fathom what kind of secret could drive Lukas’s entire family to such despair.
What could be so horrifying that just hearing it would make Blake kill himself?
At that moment, Wren seemed to sober up. Her eyes were empty as she looked at us.
She gave a bitter, broken smile, her face gaunt and drawn. Then, slowly, Wren began to laugh—at first quietly, then so wildly that tears streamed down her cheeks.
She clutched Lukas’s hand, laughing until she cried.
“Lukas, you insisted on knowing. Now you’ll have to live with the same pain I do.”
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Chapter 2
288 Vouchers
I felt utterly lost, unable to understand how things had come to this.
I’d arrived at the Tilley home with gifts, happy and excited to meet Lukas’s family, believing the future would only get brighter.
Lukas was a good man-steady, gentle, even-tempered. In the three years we’d been together, we’d never once had a real fight.
His family was just like him-kind and warm. Freya was loving. Blake and Wren were devoted to each other, always speaking softly at home, never any harsh words between them.
Lukas often talked about me to his family. He said they all liked me and looked forward to meeting me.
Freya was especially fond of me. She often gave Lukas money to buy me gifts, told him to take care of me, and fre- quently sent me local treats with kind notes.
But everything changed the moment I announced I was pregnant.
Freya killed herself on the spot. Blake followed her soon after.
Wren fell apart, drifting through each day in a daze. Even Lukas became withdrawn, burdened by secrets he wouldn’t share.
It felt like the whole world was against us, refusing to let us have a single day of peace.
Exhausted and heartsick, I couldn’t stop wondering-what was the secret Freya left behind?
I wasn’t alone. Many people shared my curiosity, especially after our neighbors posted about it online.
The next day, the police showed up at our door again, driven by the mounting pressure of public opinion.
