LOVE BEHIND THE LIES

Chapter Three

Two weeks after Kenneth's burial, the world felt wrong. Not broken or Not destroyed. Everything Just felt wrong. As though someone had quietly shifted everything a few inches out of place and expected everyone else to pretend nothing had changed. The Kenneth mansion stood silent beneath the night sky. The fountains outside still flowed. The garden lights still glowed. The grandfather clock in the hallway still announced every passing hour.

Yet the house no longer felt alive. Kenneth's laughter was gone and so was His footsteps were gone. Even the servants moved more quietly now. As if they were afraid of disturbing a ghost. Upstairs, Elena slept Or at least she appeared to. The past two weeks had been a blur of visitors, condolences, prayers, and endless tears. Everyone told her she was strong. Everyone told her time would heal. Everyone told her Kenneth would want her to move forward. She hated all of them for saying it Because none of them understood. They had lost a friend but She had lost her father. Moonlight slipped through the curtains of her bedroom and settled across her sleeping face. Her breathing remained soft and Peaceful For the first time in days. A shadow appeared near the window. Silent and Motionless one stood Watching. Selene. Dressed entirely in black as usual and Her expression unreadable. For several seconds she simply stood there.Looking Studying Comparing.

The resemblance was impossible to ignore. Same eyes. Same nose. Same lips. Same face. It was like looking into a mirror that smiled more often. Selene hated it Because the more she looked at Elena, the more questions appeared. Questions Martin never answered. Questions she wasn't supposed to ask. Questions Kenneth had left behind when he died, Her gaze moved around the room. The room itself felt strange Not luxurious or Not extravagant But warm. Family photographs sat on shelves. A half-finished novel rested on the bedside table. A sweater had been carelessly tossed onto a chair. Everything about the room suggested someone actually lived here. Someone loved here. Someone belonged here. Selene swallowed. A strange discomfort settled in her chest. She looked back at Elena. "You really do look exactly like me." The words escaped before she could stop them. Elena didn't wake. Selene almost felt relieved. Slowly she stepped closer. For a moment she reached toward Elena's face. Then stopped herself. What was she doing? Martin would call this weakness and Weakness was dangerous, Weakness got people hurt, Weakness got people controlled.

Selene immediately pulled her hand back. Then- "Elena?" A voice echoed from downstairs. Selene froze. Alice. "Elena!, have you sleep?" The voice came again and Closer this time, Selene turned toward the door. The stairs creaked. Someone was already coming up. Too late to escape through the window. For the first time all night, uncertainty crossed Selene's face. Then she made a decision. Quickly opening the bedroom door, she stepped into the hallway. A second later Alice appeared at the top of the staircase. Both women froze. For one brief moment, neither spoke. Alice blinked, Then smiled. "There you are." Selene remained silent. Alice looked relieved. "I've been calling you." Still silence. Something felt different.

Yet Alice was exhausted. Grief had stolen most of her sleep these past weeks. She ignored the feeling. "When did you start having black clothes?" Selene glanced down at herself. Then calmly answered. "They've been in my wardrobe." Alice frowned slightly. Her daughter rarely wore black But before she could think about it further, she shook her head. "It doesn't matter." She forced a smile. "I wanted to show you something." Selene's eyes narrowed. "Show me what?" Alice hesitated. Then motioned toward the stairs. "Come downstairs." Curiosity won. Selene followed. Neither spoke while descending. The entire house felt strangely quiet. Eventually they entered Kenneth's study. The room had remained untouched since his death. His chair still sat behind the desk. His books remained organized exactly as he left them. Even his reading glasses rested near a stack of documents. Alice's eyes softened. For a moment grief flickered across her face. Then she focused on the present.

Carefully she opened a locked drawer safe, And removed a metallic case. Selene immediately became alert. The case looked important. Alice placed it on the desk and slowly opened it."they ae two of this" She said as she rested a silver device. Small but Elegant and Complicated. Covered with biometric sensors. Selene stared. "What is it?" Alice smiled sadly. "Your father called it his masterpiece." Selene's attention sharpened. Kenneth. Again. Everything seemed to lead back to him. Alice gently touched the device. "Do you remember when you were ten years old?"Selene's stomach tightened Of course she didn't But she couldn't say that So she remained silent. Alice interpreted the silence differently. She laughed softly. "You've forgotten." Then she shook her head. "Your father brought you here." Her voice became distant. "He sat you right there." She pointed toward a chair. "And told you that one day you would become the final verification key." Selene listened carefully. Every word mattered. Every detail. "What does that mean?" Alice smiled. "It means your father trusted you." Something painful crossed her face. "More than anyone." Selene stared at the panel. "What does it open?"

Alice's face changed immediately to Fear. Real fear though Only for a second and Then it vanished. "You don't need to know yet." That answer told Selene everything. Whatever this panel protected- People were willing to kill for it And Martin wanted it. Very badly. Alice carefully lifted the silver panel from the case and placed it on Kenneth's desk. The device immediately came alive. A faint blue glow spread across its surface. Selene watched silently. Even without understanding technology, she could tell this wasn't ordinary, Kenneth had built something important. Something worth protecting. Something Martin desperately wanted. Alice stared at the panel for several moments. Her fingers trembled slightly. Grief had changed her. Two weeks ago she had still been a wife. Now she was simply a widow carrying secrets she wasn't sure she could protect anymore."Mom?" Selene deliberately tested the word,Alice looked up. A small smile appeared on her face. The smile hurt Selene for reasons she couldn't explain. Alice touched the scanner. "The system originally required three fingerprints." Selene's eyes narrowed "Three?" "Yes." Alice nodded "Your father made it to be mine but he wants you to be the final activation to it, you always want to be like him" Selene remained silent. "So why are you showing me this now?" Alice's smile faded. Because she didn't know how much time she had left. Because Kenneth was dead. Because Martin had started moving again. Because danger was getting closer But she couldn't say any of those things. Instead she answered softly. "Because things aren't happening the way they should." Selene stared. That sounded more like a warning than an explanation.

Alice activated another screen. A green light appeared. "Place your left hand here." Selene hesitated. Every instinct Martin had drilled into her screamed caution. Observe. Analyze. Trust nobody. Yet Alice wasn't Martin. And for reasons she couldn't understand, she wanted to know what came next. Slowly she obeyed. The scanner lit up, A mechanical voice echoed through the room. Additional biometric verification accepted. Alice released a breath she didn't realize she was holding. Then came the facial scan. The blue light moved across Selene's face. The screen flashed green again. Verification complete. Additional access granted. Selene saw it. Alice didn't. The woman was too busy staring at Kenneth's old chair. Almost as if she expected him to walk through the door at any moment. For a few seconds neither spoke. Then unexpectedly- Alice stepped forward and hugged her. Selene froze. Completely. Nobody hugged her. Martin never hugged her unless it was part of manipulation. Tutors feared her. Servants avoided her. Even Jewel rarely touched her. Yet Alice held her tightly Like a mother who had found something precious. "My baby." Selene's chest tightened painfully. She hated the feeling, she Hated it Because it made her want things.

Things she wasn't supposed to want. When Alice finally released her, Selene immediately stepped back. The room suddenly felt too warm. Too emotional. Too dangerous. "You should get some sleep." Alice smiled Selene nodded. Then stopped. A question surfaced before she could stop it. "What if there were two of us?" Alice blinked. "What?" "What if you had two daughters?" The room became quiet. Alice stared at her. Confused. Almost frightened. Then she laughed softly. "There isn't." "But what if there were?" The question sounded strange even to Selene. Alice looked away briefly. Then back at her. "You will always be my pnly princess." Selene's expression didn't change Yet something shifted behind her eyes. Alice continued. "There could never be another you." The answer wasn't exactly what Selene asked. But somehow it felt important. For a brief second she imagined another life. One where Alice had raised her. One where Kenneth taught her how to ride a bicycle. One where she attended school with Elena. One where Martin didn't exist. The thought disappeared immediately.

Dreams were dangerous, Martin taught her that. She turned toward the stairs. "Goodnight." Halfway up- Alice suddenly spoke again. "Elena." Selene stopped. "There are things I should tell you."For a moment Selene almost turned around. Almost asked the questions Kenneth had left behind. Almost. Instead she said quietly, "There is nothing to tell me, Mom." Then continued walking. Alice remained standing in the study long after she disappeared. A strange uneasiness settled inside her chest. Something wasn't right. Something felt different about her daughter tonight But she couldn't explain why. Thirty minutes later, Selene climbed through her bedroom window inside Lockwood Mansion. The second her feet touched the floor she knew she wasn't alone.