The Lying Game Ruth Ware Synopsis Novels & Stories

Hoping I’d heard wrongly. “I can’t do this anymore.” Sapphire breathed heavily, her voice cracking as she continued. “Every day I wake up feeling like a stranger in my own home. I can’t keep wallowing in guilt. My husband… my kids… I can’t… keep lying to them!. I will do anything. Anything to get out of…” “So what are you gonna do about it?.” Lyra asked, cutting in. “You shouldn’t be here if you are so sure of what you want, my dear. You should be at the Don’s… tea-talking with Lazarus.”

I said, my voice steady and soothing, hiding the dirty, complex web of deceit we were weaving. As I knelt beside them, the three of us formed a unified, tragic front. I looked at Ruth, her face wet with tears for a boy who wasn't bleeding, and then at Reign, who gave me a microscopic, barely perceptible nod. The lie was perfectly set. We had our distraction. We had our leverage. And as I reached out to 'treat' my son, I knew the game was only just beginning.

"Dude, you're Denver Ybarra. That's your wife, why can't you search? Use your damn connections, you have a lot on your back. Or maybe you're just pretending to search for her?" "Cali, stop dissing me. I'm tired, can you just help me?" Cali laughed sarcastically. "No. Be thankful, Denver, that I haven't told your Mommy yet. Maybe when she finds out that your wife is missing because of your stupidity, it might not be the only thing you've been keeping that will be lost."

“I'm convinced facts matter." The apartment became quiet again. Linda folded her arms, "then present your facts.” I leaned back slightly. "You were with me the day I initiated the contract.” Her expression remained neutral. “And I left you in the room that same day.” A flicker; small and almost invisible but it was there. Linda looked down at her glass before laughing softly. "So we're playing detective now?” “We’re eliminating possibilities.” She shrugged. “Maybe someone hacked your system." “They didn't."

But I also don’t want to pretend I’m not hoping for something real. I stare at the message for a long time. My fingers hover. I think of Julian’s glass walls. Olivia’s wicked promising smile, Nora’s question, Eva’s warning. And then I type. Me: I’m ready to try but I want it to move slowly. The reply comes a minute later. Liam: Slow is okay. As long as we’re moving forward. I set the phone down and close my eyes. The lie sits quietly between us, fragile and temporary and for the first time, I understand something clearly

*Outside* _______ “Now answer me lewis,what are you doing in America? We made a deal,and you promised not to come back.” “Easy Ruth. I came back coz I missed you.” Lewis said playfully. “You and I know you're lying. Are you here coz of Cindy?” As soon she said that name, Lewiston’s head banged and his eyes turned red. His hands shot out, grabbing Ruth's neck in a death choke. “If there's any name I don't ever wanna hear, it's CINDY. You know this and you're still provoking me.” Lewiston's hold on her throat tightened madly.

"What's the big deal? I'm from the countryside and I don't understand all this, so I asked around. I mean, 5,000 dollars is a lot. I had to find out if that's really the worth of this game, right?" She paused for a beat, then turned away, refusing to look at me, her voice laced with something more than a hint of mockery. "Why are you so upset? What's the problem? They're not wrong, right? You spent thousands on this game, didn't you?" Her complete lack of remorse left me dumbfounded. I laughed bitterly. "Yeah, I did spend that much, but you wasted it all! Now you owe me, and you go behind my back stirring up trouble. I'm really looking forward to seeing how the university handles this."

But she was steady and sharp, facing me with that quiet fire in her eyes. "We looked convincing tonight," I said, softer than I meant. She looked up at me, curious. "Convincing enough?" I nodded slowly. "Too much. That's the dangerous part." "We'll need rules," I added, before I could say something reckless. "You sound like a man who's done this before," she replied. If only she knew. I'd danced with lies my entire life. This wouldn't be my first time building something out of smoke and mirrors. Relationships built on games were easier—until they weren't.

The door clicked shut. I sat up, wincing again. My eyes were drawn to the sheets, and I closed my eyes again. This was supposed to happen on my wedding night. It was supposed to be Alpha Lucas or whoever that was supposed to be my husband’s privilege, and I had given it away because that was exactly what it was: giving not taking. I got up and moved slowly toward the bathroom. The soreness wasn’t even the worst part. Not even close. That was the shame, the guilt over what I let happen.