Chapter 12
326 Words
Caroline didn't look back at Silas. She knew that answering him was a trap, a way for the elder Miller to draw her into the same web of manipulation that had clearly strangled Jax's childhood. Instead, she retreated deeper into the library, the scent of old paper and expensive mahogany pressing in on her.
She needed to find the truth, not the version Silas sold to the press. Her fingers trailed over the spines of first editions until she reached the section on local history. Behind a heavy, leather-bound volume on the founding of the Highlands, her hand brushed something cold and metallic—a small, recessed lever.
The lever clicked, and a section of the bookshelf swung inwards, revealing a small alcove. Inside wasn't a secret passage, but a dusty collection of old books and papers. Her eyes fell on a small, leather-bound diary tucked among the volumes.
Carefully, she pulled out the diary. The cover was worn, and the pages were brittle with age. She opened it to a random page and began to read the elegant, looping handwriting. It appeared to be the journal of a previous resident of the house, detailing daily life, social events, and personal thoughts from decades past. It wasn't the explosive secret she had imagined, but a quiet glimpse into history.
As she continued to flip through the pages, a small, faded photograph fell out. It showed a group of people smiling and laughing on a sunny day in what looked like the gardens outside. One face stood out to her – a young woman with a striking resemblance to Silas. Could this be a clue to the family's past, something that Silas had kept hidden?
Before she could delve deeper into the diary, a voice from the doorway startled her.
"Caroline? What are you doing in here?"
It was Jax, his expression unreadable in the dim light of the library.
- Writer
