The lake house was quiet except for the faint hum of a late-night television and the occasional creak of settling wood. Jackson and Cody, flushed with the afterglow of their late night gaming session, padded softly down the dim hallway. Their footsteps were light, barely disturbing the thick carpet beneath their feet. Thirst had driven them from their rooms to the kitchen, but as they rounded the corner, hushed voices stopped them cold.
In the half-light, they saw their parents' silhouettes by the kitchen counter. The low tones of their conversation slipped through the doorway — urgent, heavy with worry.
"I'm getting worried about Aura." Camila whispered, voice strained but steady. "She hasn't eaten much since we got here. She's been quiet, distant. I think she's stressed... maybe it's Harper not being here."
Thomas nodded, rubbing his temples as if trying to soothe the tension in his head. "Harper's refusal to come — it's not just fear, is it? There's something deeper. Something she's hiding."
Camila's eyes darkened with thought. "I keep thinking about Harriet, too. She must've been so scared that night. Desperate. I could see it in her eyes when she told us, Tom. I don't know if she's telling the whole truth, but... if she did do something that night, I don't think it was out of cruelty."
"And hiding a pregnancy too? God, how did we not see any signs?"
Jackson and Cody exchanged a quick glance, hearts pounding.
Thomas's voice was grave. "If either of them are involved, we protect them. Both Harper and Harriet. No matter what."
Jackson's grip tightened on the edge of the counter. Cody's breath caught in his throat. They remained silent, the secret settling heavy between them like a shadow.
And without a word, they slipped away, urgency pushing them toward Harriet's room down the hall. The soft glow of the TV spilled into the corridor, a pale light beckoning.
Inside, Harriet and Aura sat side by side on the bed, the flickering images of a movie playing across their faces. The room was calm — too calm.
Jackson stepped inside, the door clicking softly behind him. Harriet's eyes snapped open, a flicker of unease flashing across her features.
"I knew you were lying about where you were that night." Jackson said quietly but firmly, voice low enough not to wake Aura, who glanced up but remained silent.
Harriet's breath hitched, panic blooming in her eyes. "What are you talking about? Keep your voice down."
Cody came in behind his younger brother, voice steady but heavy with the weight of truth. "We overheard Mom and Dad talking in the kitchen. You told them you went there to kill grandma.."
Harriet's fingers trembled, clutching the edge of the blanket. The secret she'd held so tightly now threatened to unravel her completely. Her breath caught. She looked like a cornered animal — wide-eyed, trembling, as though every wall around her had crumbled at once.
"No—no, they weren't supposed to... I didn't think they—"
Jackson's voice softened, but he didn't let up. "Why didn't you tell us? Why lie about it?"
"I wasn't lying!" Harriet snapped, tears welling up. "Not really. I just... I couldn't tell you everything. I was ashamed. I was scared. Grandma — she said she was going to tell Mom and Dad about the baby, and I thought if I just made her stop—if I scared her enough, she'd back off. But then..."
"You were pregnant?" Cody asked, his eyebrow raised.
Harriet nodded.
"I made a stupid mistake and got really drunk and had a one night stand. Remember that Sebastian guy, grandma kept trying to ship me off with? Yeah, it was his baby."
Jackson's voice dropped. "Why didn't you tell us you were pregnant? I thought we were sticking together in all of this."
"I'm really sorry." Harriet said, wrapping her arms around herself. "I didn't know what to do. And then grandma found out and it all got so loud in my head. I thought I was doing the right thing by hiding it. But I just made everything worse. She threatened to tell mom and dad and I panicked!"
Harriet never thought of herself as a killer.
But one thing was certain, she went to that house with a mission.
And then the next morning, her grandmother was found dead.
And her secret—her pregnancy—was suddenly safe again. But at what cost?
She hadn't told anyone the full truth. Not her parents. Not even Finola. Because deep down, Harriet still wasn't sure where the line was between fear and fury. Between wanting to survive and wanting revenge.
She had never wanted anyone dead. Not really.
But she had wanted her grandmother gone for good.
And that was a truth she couldn't scrub clean no matter how hard she tried.
But what happens when the enemy has you backed into a corner?