Chapter 11 – The Smile Behind the Cage
523 Words
The garden smelled of damp soil and rosemary. Luna knelt beside her aunt, pulling weeds with trembling fingers, but her mind was nowhere near the earth. It was upstairs, hidden beneath her mattress, locked between yellowed pages that screamed the truth: Rick had done this before.
“Sweetheart, you’re distracted,” Aunt Marjorie said, her wide-brimmed hat shading her face. “Is everything all right?”
Luna forced a smile. “Just… tired.”
Before Marjorie could respond, the crunch of footsteps on gravel drew their attention. Rick strode into the garden, hands in his pockets, his smile sharp and familiar.
“There you are,” he said, eyes locking on Luna. “I was looking for you.”
Her throat tightened. “I told you, I was helping Aunt—”
“She can manage,” Rick interrupted smoothly, his gaze still fixed on her. “You shouldn’t be bending in the dirt anyway. You’ll hurt your back.”
Marjorie chuckled, waving him off. “Oh, nonsense. Gardening never killed anyone.”
But Rick’s smile didn’t falter. He stepped closer, brushing soil from Luna’s wrist like it offended him. “I’ll take her inside. You don’t mind, do you, Aunt?”
Luna froze. He wasn’t asking. He was claiming.
Marjorie hesitated, her brows knitting slightly. “Well… I suppose—”
“Good,” Rick said, already tugging Luna up by the hand. His grip was warm, steady—too steady. “Come on.”
Luna wanted to scream, to pull away, but Marjorie was right there, watching. If she fought, it would look like she was overreacting.
So she let him lead her across the grass, her chest hollow, her eyes begging her aunt to see.
But Marjorie only smiled faintly and returned to her work.
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Inside, Rick finally released her hand, though the ghost of his touch lingered like shackles.
“You lied to me,” he said quietly, his tone too calm.
Her heart stuttered. “What are you talking about?”
He stepped closer, so close she could smell the faint cologne clinging to his shirt. “You said you wanted to help Marjorie. But you didn’t look like you were helping. You looked like you were… hiding.”
Luna’s breath caught. Did he know? Had he seen the journal?
“I wasn’t hiding,” she whispered. “I just wanted some time outside.”
Rick studied her for a long, suffocating moment. Then his lips curved into a smile that chilled her more than any scowl could.
“You don’t have to lie to me, Luna. I’ll always forgive you. Always.”
She swallowed, her voice barely audible. “I’m not lying.”
Rick reached out, brushing her hair behind her ear with a gentleness that didn’t match the steel in his eyes. “That’s what Julia used to say too.”
Luna’s blood turned to ice.
He turned away before she could speak, his voice casual. “Dinner at seven. Don’t be late.”
And just like that, he was gone.
But his words echoed like a curse. That’s what Julia used to say too.
- Writer
