Eleanor barely slept.
Every time she closed her eyes, another fragment returned.
Rain against glass.
Ellen Hale's voice.
Mark's angry expression.
Adrian standing behind him.
The silver mask.
And herself—a little girl standing in the middle of something she had never understood.
By morning, Eleanor felt exhausted.
She sat at the edge of her bed, staring at her phone.
Raven had called six times.
Sent three messages.
Raven:
Please talk to me.
Raven:
I'm not angry.
Raven:
Whatever you remembered, you don't have to face it alone.
Eleanor read the last message several times.
Her heart hurt.
She loved Raven.
That was the problem.
If she didn't love her, walking away would have been easy.
But Raven had become the one person Eleanor trusted completely.
And now she was beginning to suspect that Eleanor's own family might have played a role in destroying Raven's family.
How could she stay beside her knowing that?
Eleanor finally typed:
Eleanor:
Come to my office.
The response came almost immediately.
Raven:
I'm coming.
---
Raven arrived less than thirty minutes later.
Eleanor was standing beside the windows when she entered.
Raven closed the door behind her.
"You called."
Eleanor nodded.
"I need to talk to you."
Raven approached slowly.
"Then talk."
Eleanor took a deep breath.
"I remembered more."
Raven's expression became serious.
"What?"
"I remember being in a room with Ellen."
Raven didn't interrupt.
"She was arguing with my father and Adrian."
"About what?"
"I don't know."
Eleanor swallowed.
"But I heard them talking about me."
Raven's eyes hardened.
"What did they say?"
"That I wasn't supposed to remember."
Silence.
Raven stepped closer.
"Eleanor…"
"I also heard them talking yesterday."
"Your father and Adrian?"
"Yes."
"What did they say?"
"They mentioned Ellen's death."
Raven's entire expression changed.
"They said you were there?"
Eleanor nodded.
"They said I was involved somehow."
"You were a child."
"I know."
Raven reached for her hand.
Eleanor pulled away.
Raven froze.
"Why?"
Eleanor's eyes filled with tears.
"Because I think I need to end this."
Raven stared at her.
"No."
"You haven't even heard me."
"I don't need to."
"Raven—"
"No."
Eleanor looked away.
"I can't keep doing this."
"Doing what?"
"Loving you while knowing my family may have destroyed yours."
Raven's voice became softer.
"You didn't do anything."
"But I'm still part of them."
"You're Eleanor."
"My father is Mark Vance."
"And you're not him."
"My uncle is Adrian."
"And you're not him."
Eleanor shook her head.
"You don't understand."
"Then make me understand."
Eleanor finally looked at her.
"If the truth proves that my family was responsible for Ellen's death, how am I supposed to stand beside you?"
Raven took another step closer.
"Because I want you beside me."
Eleanor's lips trembled.
"You shouldn't."
"That's not your decision."
"I need to protect you."
Raven gave a sad smile.
"That's exactly what my mother did for you."
Eleanor froze.
"What?"
"Ellen protected you."
Raven's voice became quiet.
"Whatever happened, she chose to protect you."
Eleanor looked down.
"I don't understand why."
"Neither do I."
Raven gently took her hand.
"But we're going to find out."
Eleanor shook her head.
"What if the truth is horrible?"
"Then we'll face it."
"What if it changes everything?"
"Then we'll change with it."
Eleanor stared at her.
Raven's composure finally broke.
"I've spent years thinking revenge was the only thing I wanted."
Her eyes filled with emotion.
"Then I met you."
Eleanor's breath caught.
"You made me want something else."
"What?"
"A future."
Raven stepped closer.
"You think I'm going to let fear take that away?"
Eleanor whispered,
"You deserve someone without all this."
Raven shook her head.
"I don't want someone else."
She looked directly into Eleanor's eyes.
"I want you."
Eleanor's tears finally fell.
Raven gently wiped them away.
"I love you."
Eleanor closed her eyes.
Raven continued.
"I love you, Eleanor."
There was no hesitation in her voice.
No mask.
No carefully controlled emotion.
Just the truth.
"I don't care how complicated this becomes. I don't care what your father did. I don't care what Adrian did. I care about you."
Eleanor opened her eyes.
"I love you too."
Raven's breath caught.
"You do?"
Eleanor smiled through her tears.
"I've been trying not to."
"Why?"
"Because I knew it would hurt."
Raven stepped closer.
"And does it?"
"Yes."
Raven's expression softened.
"Then we'll hurt together."
Eleanor laughed quietly.
"That is possibly the least romantic thing anyone has ever said."
Raven smiled.
"I'm trying."
Eleanor moved closer.
"You're doing fine."
Their eyes met.
Neither moved for a moment.
Then Eleanor reached up and touched Raven's cheek.
Raven leaned into her touch.
"I don't want to lose you."
"You won't."
"You can't promise that."
"No."
Raven's thumb brushed away another tear.
"But I can promise I'll fight for us."
Eleanor smiled.
"Then I'll fight too."
Raven leaned forward.
Their lips met.
The kiss was gentle at first, carrying the weight of everything they had been afraid to say.
Eleanor's arms slipped around Raven.
Raven held her close.
The kiss deepened naturally, becoming more passionate as the tension between them finally gave way to relief.
When they separated, they remained close.
Eleanor smiled.
"So…"
Raven raised an eyebrow.
"So?"
"Are we officially together?"
Raven smiled.
"I thought we already were."
"No."
Eleanor shook her head.
"You never actually asked me."
Raven laughed softly.
"Eleanor Vance…"
"Yes?"
"Will you be my girlfriend?"
Eleanor pretended to think.
"Hmm."
Raven stared at her.
"Don't make me nervous."
Eleanor smiled.
"Yes."
Raven's smile was immediate.
"Yes?"
"Yes."
Raven pulled her into another embrace.
"My girlfriend."
Eleanor laughed.
"Your girlfriend."
Raven kissed her forehead.
"Finally."
---
Later that afternoon, they sat together in Raven's office.
Eleanor had her head resting against Raven's shoulder.
Neither had mentioned the investigation for almost an hour.
They were simply enjoying being together.
Then Raven's phone vibrated.
Andrea.
Raven answered.
"Tell me."
Andrea's voice was serious.
"We found the security footage."
Raven sat upright.
"From the night Ellen died?"
"Yes."
Eleanor immediately looked at her.
"There's something you need to see."
Raven put the call on speaker.
"What?"
"The footage shows Mark and Adrian entering the Hale estate."
Raven's jaw tightened.
"We know that."
"But there's another person."
"The masked woman?"
"No."
Andrea paused.
"Someone else."
Raven's eyes narrowed.
"Who?"
"We're still identifying him."
"Send me the footage."
"Already did."
Raven opened the file.
The footage was grainy.
Black-and-white.
Timestamped five years ago.
A car pulled into the Hale estate.
Mark stepped out.
Adrian followed.
Then the woman in the silver mask.
Raven watched silently.
Then another vehicle arrived.
A man stepped out.
He walked toward the house.
Eleanor leaned closer.
"Can you see his face?"
"Not clearly."
The man turned slightly.
Raven paused the video.
Her eyes narrowed.
"I know him."
Eleanor looked at her.
"Who?"
Raven zoomed in.
The man's face became slightly clearer.
Raven's blood ran cold.
"He worked for my mother."
Eleanor stared at the screen.
"What does that mean?"
"I don't know."
Andrea's voice came through the phone.
"There is more."
Raven looked at the phone.
"What?"
"The man wasn't just an employee."
A pause.
"He was Ellen Hale's personal security chief."
Raven froze.
Her mother had trusted him.
He had been there that night.
And he had disappeared immediately afterward.
Eleanor looked at Raven.
"Where is he now?"
Andrea answered.
"We found an address."
Raven stood.
"Send it."
Andrea did.
Raven stared at the location.
It was only a few hours outside the city.
Then Andrea added one final sentence.
"Raven, there's something strange about the address."
"What?"
"The property is registered under a different name."
"Whose?"
Andrea hesitated.
"Ellen Hale."
Raven's heart stopped.
Eleanor looked at her.
"But Ellen is dead."
Raven stared at the screen.
The property had been purchased months after Ellen's supposed death.
And someone had been living there ever since.
Raven slowly closed the laptop.
"She's not the only person who left secrets behind."
Eleanor took her hand.
"Then let's find them."
Raven looked at her.
For the first time, the fear in her eyes was replaced by determination.
They had officially chosen each other.
Now they would have to discover whether the truth would allow them to remain together.
Neither woman knew that at that very moment, someone was watching the Hale property from across the road.
And the man inside the house had just received a message.
They're coming.
He looked at the screen.
Then at the old photograph of Ellen Hale sitting on his desk.
His eyes darkened.
"Then it's time."
To be continued…