THE LIE THAT WORE A RING - Chapter 40: Chapter 40
You are reading THE LIE THAT WORE A RING, Chapter 40: Chapter 40. Read more chapters of THE LIE THAT WORE A RING.
The dead don’t haunt the living with whispers. They do it with unfinished stories and unsigned truths.
The journal they uncovered at Isabelle’s cottage wasn’t dated like the others. Its cover was worn leather, the edges frayed from years of anxious handling. On the first page, written in elegant black ink, were three haunting words:
> “They never forget.”
Nicholas sat at the kitchen table, the journal open, Ava and Ethan reading over his shoulders.
The first few entries were simple observations—artistic notes, thoughts about color, technique. But midway through the journal, things changed.
The entries became darker. Names were mentioned.
The Broker. The White Thorn. Craven Hall.
Each name felt like a puzzle piece. Ava underlined them all.
“What is Craven Hall?” Ethan asked.
Nicholas stiffened.
“It’s not a place. It’s a network. A hidden cabal built around laundering money through art, crypto, and philanthropy. Isabelle mentioned it once, years ago, before we were married. I thought it was just a rumor.”
Ava’s eyes darkened. “It’s real. She was tangled in it.”
Meanwhile, in a secure office downtown, Elise sat across from Jonas Wells—alive, smug, and every bit as venomous as she remembered.
“You came,” he said, swirling whiskey in his glass. “That means you’re ready to come back.”
“I came to end it,” Elise replied coldly. “To tell you I’m done. You wanted me to plant the truth in their house, to destroy them from the inside. But I’ve seen what they survived. They deserve peace.”
Jonas chuckled. “You think peace exists for people like us?”
“It does—for those who choose it.”
Jonas leaned closer. “You forget I still own you.”
“No,” Elise said, rising to her feet. “You only own the part of me that’s dead. And I’ve buried her.”
She tossed a flash drive onto the table.
“Everything you asked for is on there,” she lied. “But if I see you near them again… I’ll expose you to Craven Hall. And you won’t survive it.”
Jonas’s smile faltered.
And Elise walked out, trembling—but finally free.
Back at the Carter estate, Ava continued decoding the journal. She found sketches hidden between pages—symbols, patterns, and one particular image repeated over and over.
A feather wrapped in barbed wire.
Nicholas’s breath caught. “That’s Craven’s mark. Isabelle didn’t just know about them. She betrayed them.”
The final entry chilled them all.
> “The painting was never just for confession. It’s a signature. One last ghost signature meant to awaken the names buried beneath velvet and lies. If they find it, they’ll kill for it. If my family finds it—
They’ll finish what I couldn’t.”
Nicholas stood up. “Then we don’t hide anymore. We finish it.”
That night, a message pinged Nicholas’s encrypted phone. No sender. No trace.
Just one line:
> “The Broker is coming home.”
The journal they uncovered at Isabelle’s cottage wasn’t dated like the others. Its cover was worn leather, the edges frayed from years of anxious handling. On the first page, written in elegant black ink, were three haunting words:
> “They never forget.”
Nicholas sat at the kitchen table, the journal open, Ava and Ethan reading over his shoulders.
The first few entries were simple observations—artistic notes, thoughts about color, technique. But midway through the journal, things changed.
The entries became darker. Names were mentioned.
The Broker. The White Thorn. Craven Hall.
Each name felt like a puzzle piece. Ava underlined them all.
“What is Craven Hall?” Ethan asked.
Nicholas stiffened.
“It’s not a place. It’s a network. A hidden cabal built around laundering money through art, crypto, and philanthropy. Isabelle mentioned it once, years ago, before we were married. I thought it was just a rumor.”
Ava’s eyes darkened. “It’s real. She was tangled in it.”
Meanwhile, in a secure office downtown, Elise sat across from Jonas Wells—alive, smug, and every bit as venomous as she remembered.
“You came,” he said, swirling whiskey in his glass. “That means you’re ready to come back.”
“I came to end it,” Elise replied coldly. “To tell you I’m done. You wanted me to plant the truth in their house, to destroy them from the inside. But I’ve seen what they survived. They deserve peace.”
Jonas chuckled. “You think peace exists for people like us?”
“It does—for those who choose it.”
Jonas leaned closer. “You forget I still own you.”
“No,” Elise said, rising to her feet. “You only own the part of me that’s dead. And I’ve buried her.”
She tossed a flash drive onto the table.
“Everything you asked for is on there,” she lied. “But if I see you near them again… I’ll expose you to Craven Hall. And you won’t survive it.”
Jonas’s smile faltered.
And Elise walked out, trembling—but finally free.
Back at the Carter estate, Ava continued decoding the journal. She found sketches hidden between pages—symbols, patterns, and one particular image repeated over and over.
A feather wrapped in barbed wire.
Nicholas’s breath caught. “That’s Craven’s mark. Isabelle didn’t just know about them. She betrayed them.”
The final entry chilled them all.
> “The painting was never just for confession. It’s a signature. One last ghost signature meant to awaken the names buried beneath velvet and lies. If they find it, they’ll kill for it. If my family finds it—
They’ll finish what I couldn’t.”
Nicholas stood up. “Then we don’t hide anymore. We finish it.”
That night, a message pinged Nicholas’s encrypted phone. No sender. No trace.
Just one line:
> “The Broker is coming home.”
End of THE LIE THAT WORE A RING Chapter 40. Continue reading Chapter 41 or return to THE LIE THAT WORE A RING book page.