LIES WE LOVED

LIES WE LOVED 26 - 29

CHAPTER 26 — THE MOUNTAIN CABIN

The drive took six hours — winding roads, mist-shrouded forests, silence pressing in on all sides. They left their phones in the car, turned off their trackers, approached the cabin on foot. It sat in a clearing, wood smoke curling from the chimney, lights glowing warm against the gray afternoon.

Lucas stepped forward, but Mia pulled him back. “Wait. Look — the porch steps. No footprints. No fresh tracks.”

They circled around, staying low. Through the kitchen window, they saw him — Adrian. Older, thinner, lines of hardship around his eyes — but unmistakably him. He was pacing, holding something in his hand: a g*n.

Lucas moved to the door, knocked gently. Adrian froze, raised the weapon.

“Adrian — don’t,” Lucas said, voice steady. “It’s me. Lucas. Your brother.”

Adrian’s hand trembled. Slowly, he lowered the g*n, opened the door. Tears streamed down his face. “You shouldn’t have come here. None of you should have come.”

CHAPTER 27 — THE FULL TRUTH

They sat around a small wooden table, the cabin quiet except for the crackle of the fire. Adrian told them everything — the affair, the discovery, the threats, the offer.

“Your father came to me that night,” he said, looking at Lucas. “Said he’d make it worth my while to disappear. That if I stayed, I’d ruin everything — including you. Including Mia. I thought… I thought I was protecting people. But I was just running. And the money — it was never enough to buy peace. Just silence.”

“Who cut the brakes?” Mia asked. “The night of the crash. You saw someone.”

Adrian went pale. “I did. But I didn’t know who it was then. Not until years later, when I saw the photos. It was… someone close to both families. Someone no one would ever suspect.”

He reached into a drawer, pulled out a folded piece of paper — a sketch, drawn from memory. He slid it across the table.

Mia’s heart stopped. The face staring back at her — she knew it well. Had known him her whole life.

CHAPTER 28 — THE BETRAYAL

“Uncle Roberto?” Lucas whispered, the name tasting like poison. “My father’s business partner. Your godfather, Mia.”

“He was there that night,” Adrian said. “He tampered with the car. And he threatened to kill all our families if anyone spoke up. Your fathers? They thought they were paying for silence. But Roberto — he was playing them both. Building his own empire on top of theirs.”

“He killed my father,” Lucas said, realization hitting hard. “And he’ll kill us too, if we don’t stop him.”

“He’s not just coming for you,” Adrian said, his voice grave. “He’s been waiting for this — for the truth to come out, for your fathers to fall, so he could step in and take everything. The companies, the land, the money — all of it. And anyone who stands in his way… disappears.”

Mia stood up, her mind racing. “He knows we’re here. He must. If he’s been pulling strings this whole time — he knows everything.”

Before she could finish, the lights went out. Outside — the sound of engines. Multiple vehicles. Doors slamming. Voices.

CHAPTER 29 — SURROUNDED

“Back door — now!” Adrian whispered, grabbing a flashlight.

They ran into the cold, dark woods behind the cabin. Behind them, they heard shouting — then the cabin door crashing open. Flashlights cut through the darkness behind them.

“Split up!” Adrian hissed. “I’ll lead them away. You two — head for the highway. Elena’s waiting with the car.”

“No —” Lucas started, but Adrian was already gone, sprinting left into the thicker trees.

They heard voices behind them — then a single, sharp gunshot.

“Adrian!” Lucas cried out, starting back — but Mia pulled him down, covering his mouth as beams of light swept over the spot where they stood. Tears streamed down her face, but she held him firm — they couldn’t help him if they were caught too.

Silence fell, heavy and terrifying. Then — Roberto’s voice, clear and cold through the trees: “Come out, come out, wherever you are… or next time, it won’t be a warning shot.”

---to be continue---