All Chapters of Until The Lie Loved Me: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

Chapter OneThey say the most dangerous lies are the ones you tell yourself. I used to think that was poetic nonsense. Now, I know it’s how women like me survive.My name is Celeste Monroe, and until six months ago, I believed I was living every woman’s dream. Lavish home, beautiful smile, doting husband. The kind of life people envy on social media, the kind of life women whisper about at brunch.But behind those high-gloss Instagram photos and polite dinner parties was the truth: I was bleeding out slowly in silence.I lost three pregnancies. Three. I never got to hold them, name them, breathe them in. I mourned alone each time, while Liam—my husband—kept his jaw clenched and eyes cold. His love, if it had ever existed, had vanished by the time the first heartbeat faded.Still, I stayed. Not for love, not even for hope. I stayed because I was afraid.Liam never hit me. He didn't need to. His control came in calculated silences, veiled threats, and the kind of psychological warfare t

Chapter ThreeBeneath the SurfaceThe scent of maple and cinnamon pulled me from sleep.For a moment, I forgot where I was. Forgot the last few days. Forgot the camera in the hallway, the stranger in my bed, the way his eyes lingered when he thought I wasn’t watching.I sat up slowly, brushing sleep from my eyes.Liam was humming.The sound drifted through the bedroom door—low and tuneless, like he was trying out a melody he hadn’t fully committed to. I recognized it after a few seconds. It was an old pop song from the early 2000s. He’d once mocked it for being “radio trash.”But now he hummed it like it meant something.I slipped out of bed and padded into the hallway, pausing just before the kitchen. The light was soft, golden through the blinds, and there he was—back turned, sleeves rolled up, flipping French toast on the griddle.His hair was still damp from a shower. He wore a T-shirt that clung to his shoulders and pajama pants I hadn’t seen in years.“Good morning,” he said wit

Chapter FiveI didn’t sleep.Not really.Every time I closed my eyes, I felt the ghost of his lips on my skin. Not in a haunting way—but in a way that made my body ache with confusion.Outside, the woods whispered to themselves, the branches creaking like old secrets. Inside, the fire had burned low, casting a soft orange halo across the cabin walls. I lay on one side of the bed—stiff, guarded, half-covered by the quilt—while he slept a breath away.Or pretended to.“Are you awake?” I whispered.His voice was a low hum in the dark. “Yeah.”Of course he was.Silence again. Long and loaded.“I keep thinking I’m going to wake up,” I said, “and none of this will be real. That you’ll be gone. Or worse, that he’ll be back.”He shifted beside me, turning onto his side so we were face to face in the dark. “Celeste... he’s not coming back.”“Except he already has,” I murmured. “Every time I look at you.”His hand moved slowly, sliding between us until his fingers found mine. “Then look deeper.