Chapter 16- Echoes of Her

The morning sunlight was deceptive—bright and golden as it filtered through the mansion’s windows, casting warm hues across the polished floors, yet unable to touch the cold tension that hung in the air. Lily sat on the edge of her bed, staring at the pendant in her hand. The engraved initials—S & J—glinted beneath the light, but its meaning remained shrouded in confusion.

Nany walked in quietly with a tray of breakfast. "You didn’t sleep much, did you?"

Lily gave a slow shake of her head. "No. I couldn’t stop thinking about the pendant. About Selena."

Nany placed the tray on the table and sat down beside her. "You miss her, don’t you?"

Lily’s eyes softened with the memories. "She was more than William’s sister to me. She was... sunshine. Always the one to pull me out of my shell. Her laughter, her wild ideas—she could make you believe life wasn’t cruel."

"It’s hard to imagine someone like that could be taken so soon," Nany whispered.

Lily held the pendant tighter. "She once told me, 'I want a love that leaves echoes in every part of me, even if it disappears someday.' I think she found it. But I don’t know who 'J' is."

There was a knock at the door. A maid appeared and informed Lily that lunch had been arranged in the conservatory. Lily looked puzzled.

"That’s odd," she said. "William rarely makes such gestures."

Nany gave a small smile. "Well, he did arrange for me to come too. I didn’t tell you earlier—I got a call from one of William’s men, saying you were in the hospital. They even sent a car to bring me."

Lily turned to her, surprised. "So, it was William who called you?"

Nany nodded. "Yes. I didn’t expect it from him either. But he reached out. Maybe he does care, even if he won’t admit it."

Lily absorbed the words, her thoughts spinning.

The conservatory was a glass room blooming with green. Vines crawled up the glass panes, and warm sunlight filtered through leaves, painting dappled patterns across the floor.

William stood near the far end, staring into a file. He didn’t look up as Lily and Nany arrived.

They sat quietly. Moments later, he closed the file and finally looked at them.

"Lunch is served," he said curtly, not offering more.

They ate mostly in silence, the clinking of silverware punctuating the still air. Lily studied William now and then. He looked tired, a little more worn than usual. But his usual stoic demeanor remained intact.

After lunch, William returned to his study while Nany and Lily went for a walk in the courtyard. The garden was fragrant with blooming jasmine. Lily found herself watching the bees, their chaotic dance somehow comforting.

"He’s not as emotionless as he pretends," Nany said, following Lily’s gaze back to the house.

"No," Lily replied. "But he’s not easy either."

Nany stopped near the stone fountain. "Do you think Selena’s death still haunts him?"

Lily’s voice turned soft. "Every day. He doesn't show it, but I can see it in his eyes. He’s still chasing answers."

Nany sat on the stone ledge. "What do you think? Who did that?"

Lily looked away. "I don’t know. Maybe someone close to her. Maybe not. I asked Justin once, but he said he’d tell me when the time was right."

"Do you think Justin knows something?"

Lily sighed. "Maybe. Selena mentioned a boyfriend in her letters. Someone with a 'J.' Could be Justin... but I never saw them together."

"Could it have been someone else with the same initial?"

"Maybe. But Selena never told me anything directly. She always wrote in metaphors."

Back inside the mansion, William stood in his sister’s old room, his eyes scanning the dusty bookshelf. He touched the edge of a diary—Selena’s. Her last one. He had read it a hundred times. It was filled with poetry, dreams, love notes... but never once did she mention the name of the man she loved.

He had suspected Justin. The timing, the neighborhood, the way Justin had been protective of Lily—all of it seemed to line up.

Yet there was no proof. Only suspicion. And William hated acting without proof.

He glanced out the window and saw Lily in the garden. For the first time in a long while, he felt... unsure. Unsure of what to believe, unsure of whom to trust.

He turned back to the desk and saw the letter again. "She knew. She was about to tell you. - A Friend."

Who wrote it? And what did Selena know that someone was desperate to hide?

That evening, Justin visited the mansion. He was his usual charming self, polite, calm, well-dressed. But when his eyes met Lily’s, something unreadable flickered there.

"May I speak to you?" he asked her.

She nodded and led him to the library.

Justin glanced at the walls lined with books before speaking. "I know you have questions. About Selena."

Lily’s breath hitched. "You said you'd tell me when the time was right. Is now the time?"

Justin’s jaw tensed. "Selena was... special. Not just to William. To many people. Her death wasn’t an accident. That much I’m sure of. But I need more time to connect the dots."

"Did you know her boyfriend?"

Justin met her gaze but didn’t respond.

Lily pulled out the pendant and showed it to him. "This was in her room. S & J. What does it mean to you?"

He took the pendant, studying it with surprising calm. "It means what you think it means. But it’s not time yet."

"Justin, if you know something—"

"Not yet," he said firmly. "If I tell you now, it could put you in danger."

Lily’s heart raced. "So it is you. You were with her."

He nodded once, slowly. "Yes. I loved her. But that love came with enemies. With jealousy. With threats I couldn’t always protect her from."

Lily’s hands trembled. "Why did you never say anything?"

Justin raised his voice a bit, "Because William would never have forgiven me. Because I made promises I couldn’t keep. Because the man who loved Selena... failed her."

Lily didn’t know what to say. Part of her wanted to scream. Another part wanted to grieve.

Justin handed her back the pendant. "Keep it. She would have wanted you to have it."

As he turned to leave, Lily called after him, "Did William know?"

Justin paused. "Not everything. But enough to blame me."

And then he was gone.

Later that night, Lily stood at the window again. The pendant hung from her fingers.

Selena, wild and free, full of light.

Selena, in love.

Selena, silenced.

Lily clutched the pendant to her chest. She knew now that the answers were coming. But they would arrive slowly, painfully, through betrayal and revelation.

Outside, the wind howled through the trees. A storm was coming. Not the kind made of rain or thunder.

The kind made of truths.