Chapter 6 - Extracting The Final Leather-Bound Journal From The Wall
Inside the hidden alcove, the air smelled of aged paper, dried lavender, and absolute, suffocating isolation.
A small wooden desk sat against the back wall, illuminated by a single battery-operated brass banker’s lamp.
Resting right in the center of the desk was a single, pristine black leather-bound journal with a silver clasp.
Marcus stepped past his mother into the small vault room, his hands trembling as he reached for the journal.
He lifted it off the wooden surface, feeling the heavy weight of the final piece of the devastating puzzle.
“This is what you were so terrified I would find, isn't it?” Marcus asked, turning to face Evelyn in the doorway.
Evelyn didn't answer, simply turning her head away to stare out the stained-glass window into the front courtyard.
Marcus unclipped the silver clasp, opening the cover to reveal Claire’s neat, familiar handwriting on the first page.
He began to read the introductory sentences, his breath catching in his throat as the darkest secret of the Vance family emerged.
May you like
Lily walked quietly into the vault room, wrapping her small arms around Marcus’s leg while watching the pages turn.
---
Related Stories
