Todos os capítulos de The love we lied about : Capítulo 21 - Capítulo 30

The studio sat behind a plain metal door in a building that looked like nothing from the outside, no sign, no name, just a keypad and a lock Gerald’s key slid into like it had been made for exactly this moment. “She doesn’t know we’re coming,” Gerald said, hand hovering over the door. “Once we’re in, there’s no undoing it.” “We know,” I said. “Open it.” The door swung into a room that didn’t match the plain hallway outside it at all. Soundproofed walls, a full recording booth, equipment that looked newer than anything in Gerald’s own studios. And in the middle of it, headphones around her neck, sheet music spread across a mixing desk, stood Evelyn Cross. She didn’t look surprised to see us. That was the first thing I noticed, the way her expression barely shifted, like she’d been expecting this exact moment for longer than any of us had. “Gerald.” Her voice was calm, almost pleasant. “I was wondering when you’d finally use that key.” “Evelyn. What is this.” “It’s mine.” She sai

The ambulance doors stayed shut most of the ride, sirens drowning out anything either of us might have said, a paramedic’s hands moving fast over the wound while I held on to Cole’s other hand like letting go would undo something.“You’re quiet,” he said, voice thin but steady enough to worry about me instead of himself.“I’m thinking.”“About what Gerald said.”“You heard that?”“Enough of it.” He winced as the paramedic adjusted the pressure bandage. “He wants you to lie.”“He wants both of us to lie.” I kept my voice low, aware of the paramedic working an arm’s length away. “I don’t know if I can do that.”“You don’t have to decide right now.”“I think I do. The second we get there, someone’s going to ask me what happened, and I’m going to have to pick an answer.”The ambulance rolled to a stop outside the emergency entrance, doors opening to bright lights and fast hands, and Cole was wheeled away from me almost immediately, a nurse telling me to wait in the reception area while th

“Lena’s calling,” I said, phone buzzing on the counter between us. “Three times this morning already.” “Answer it,” Cole said, easing himself onto a stool with his good arm, still favoring the bandaged one. “She doesn’t call three times over nothing.” I picked up. “Lena.” “Finally.” Her voice had an edge I recognized, the sound of someone who’d been sitting on something too big to hold quietly. “Rhea, I need you to tell me the truth about what happened at that studio. Not the version that’s going around.” My stomach dropped. “What version is going around.” “That Cole fell on broken glass. That’s the story, right? The one you gave the hospital?” A pause, heavy enough that I could hear her deciding how much to say. “The building’s private security company reviewed their footage two days ago. Routine audit, nothing to do with any of you. But the footage from that hallway shows Evelyn Cross entering that studio, and it shows an ambulance leaving forty minutes later with Cole on a str

“Ms. Santiago?” The voice on the line was calm, professional, nothing like the panic I’d braced for. “My name is Agent Reyes. I’m with the federal division looking into Evelyn Cross. I understand Gerald Cross has already spoken with you about cooperating.” “He has.” I glanced at Cole, who’d gone very still beside me. “We were going to wait for him to set up a meeting.” “I’d rather not wait, if you’re both willing. Time matters more than you might realize right now.” A pause, brief but deliberate. “Could you come in this afternoon? Just a conversation, nothing formal yet. I think it would help both of you to hear where this investigation actually stands.” I looked at Cole. He nodded once, jaw tight, and I told the agent we’d be there by two. The federal building downtown looked nothing like I expected, quieter than the courthouse dramas made it seem, fluorescent lights and worn carpet instead of anything cinematic. Agent Reyes met us in the lobby herself, a woman maybe fifty, sharp

“You want us to leave the penthouse,” Cole said, phone on speaker between us, Reyes’s voice steady on the other end. “For how long.” “Until we know more about who helped her communicate with you from a holding facility,” Reyes said. “Could be days. Could be longer. I have a property, quiet, secure, off any record connected to either of you. I’d feel a lot better with you both there instead of somewhere she already knows how to reach.” I looked at Cole. He nodded, jaw set in the same careful way it had been since the letter arrived. “We’ll go,” I said. “Pack light. A car will be outside in twenty minutes.” The drive took almost two hours, mostly highway, then narrower roads lined with trees that grew thicker the further we went, until the city noise fell away entirely and there was nothing left but wind and the hum of tires on gravel. The house itself sat alone at the end of a long drive, plain, unremarkable, exactly the kind of place nobody would think to look. “It’s quiet,” I s