CHAPTER 88: A Web Of Secrets

　　A flash of sunlight penetrated through the gap in the curtains, landing right across my eyelids. I blinked it away, the remnants of a dream clinging to the edges of my consciousness. A dream filled with kisses and whispered promises, a dream both exhilarating and terrifying.

　　As full consciousness returned, so did the memories of the previous night and my realization that it hadn't been a dream. Alexander had confessed his feelings for me.

　　No, not for me, but for Ava, for the ghost of a woman I was pretending to be. And in a moment of overwhelming passion, I, Evie, had choked out a response that threatened to unravel everything.

　　"I love you too," the words echoed in my head, each syllable a sharp pang of guilt. It had felt so natural in the moment, an attempt to for once be truthful about something to Alexander. But the harsh light of day revealed the truth – my declaration was a house built on a foundation of sand.