All Chapters of Love Lies and Deceit: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

* Julliane *After that incident, the days that followed were unnervingly quiet. Darren stopped talking to me completely. Not a glance, not even a nod. We would pass each other at the dining table, the air tense and full of unspoken words. It was painful, especially because I missed his brotherly presence. The jokes he'd throw at me, the way he'd always bring me little treats after coming home from school. But I had to honor the agreement Lance and I made. I had to keep my distance.And Lance? He was always in a foul mood lately. I'd hear him yelling at the servants over the tiniest mistakes, his voice thundering through the manor walls. Even the workers outside weren't spared from his short temper. Ever since that moment between us, when everything shifted, I started making sure I wasn't in his line of sight. I kept to the corners, listened to his footsteps from a distance, and avoided crossing paths whenever I could.The next morning, I was jolted awake by the loud creak and slam of

* Julliane *"You bitch!!"My mother's voice exploded through the room like a violent storm. Before I could react, she charged toward me, her heels clacking furiously against the floor. In one swift, furious motion, she grabbed a handful of my long hair and yanked me away from Uncle Primo, almost throwing me off balance."Marriane!?"Uncle Primo's voice was filled with shock, his hands reaching out instinctively as if to shield me from her rage. I could see the confusion on his face, because we hadn't done anything wrong. That hug I gave him was nothing but a simple, innocent gesture. A thank-you. But my mother's eyes were blind with fury.At that moment, the door flew open. Lance rushed in, his face tense."What happened, Marriane?" he demanded. "Why are you shouting?"He stepped between us quickly, trying to pry my mother's hands off of me. "Why are you hurting your daughter, Marriane?"I saw the confusion and concern flashing in Lance's eyes. For a second, I felt a spark of hope. M

* Julliane *"Julliane, my dear! Oh, I am so happy that you are back."Grandpa met me just inside the gate of his old house, the familiar creak of the rusty hinges welcoming me almost as warmly as he did. As soon as I got down at the airport, I had managed to call him over the payphone to let him know I was taking a taxi home. He sounded overjoyed even then, but seeing his face now, his wrinkled cheeks flushed with excitement, his eyes shimmering with tears, made the heavy sadness I carried with me lighten, if only a little."I've missed you so much, Grandpa," I said, rushing into his open arms.I hugged him tightly, pressing my face into his familiar old cardigan, and for the first time in months, I almost allowed myself to cry, not from pain, but from relief. Finally, I was back home. Here, in this weathered house with its peeling paint and overgrown garden, where I had once lived happily with my father and mother, long before everything changed. Now, it was just Grandpa and Mrs. Pe

* Julliane *"Shall I let the visitor in, Jullie?"I immediately shook my head and answered Mrs. Perez firmly. "No, Nana, there's no need to let him in. Just ask if he knew my grandpa or if there's something he needs to know. But there's no reason to entertain guests right now. I'm going upstairs to rest, I'm exhausted."My footsteps echoed sharply as I made my way up the stairs. I didn't recognize that man, and something about him didn't sit right with me. He probably didn't know my grandfather at all. Not really. People liked to pretend after someone passed, as though death gave them permission to claim a connection. But I wasn't in the mood for pretenders, or strangers.As I reached the landing, I paused in front of the portrait that hung in the hallway. My grandpa's picture. He looked vibrant, healthy, and proud in that image. Alive. The contrast between the man in the frame and the empty silence he left behind hurt more than I was willing to admit. I missed him more than I could

* Julliane *"Huh?"I turned my head sharply, pretending not to hear the last thing he said. It wasn't the words, exactly, it was the way he said them. As if he had any right. As if he still knew me."You're a bigger fool than I thought, Lance," I said bitterly, my voice rising with each word, heart pounding against my ribs like a war drum. "You believed everything my mother told you, every damn lie she spun like gold thread from her twisted little web. You clung to it like it was scripture while ignoring the one person who ever told you the truth. Me. The truth I'm telling you now, and only God knows it too."I paused, swallowing the knot in my throat, but my voice didn't waver. "But I don't give a damn if you believe me anymore. It doesn't matter. None of this does."He looked at me, hard. Eyes narrowing. Not with anger no, it was something else. Something worse. That cold, calculating silence that said he was dissecting me, weighing every word like it might be another lie. Then fi