Chapter 11 — The Echo of Secrets
Morning came gray and cold, the kind of light that made everything look washed out. Erica hadn't slept at all. Every creak of the cabin had sounded like a knock, every gust of wind like a whisper reminding her of the message still sitting on her phone.
Dylan moved quietly around the kitchen, preparing coffee. He looked better after a few hours of rest, though the weight of the previous days still shadowed his eyes.
She sat on the couch, hugging her knees, pretending to read something on her phone — but she wasn't. She was staring at that message again.
> You can't hide it forever.
It was only six words, but they carried the same chill as a door opening in a dark room.
"You okay?" Dylan asked suddenly, breaking her thoughts.
Erica startled, forcing a quick smile. "Yeah. Just thinking."
"About what?"
"Your dad. And… the job, I guess."
He sat across from her, resting his elbows on his knees. "You've been quiet since last night."
"I'm fine," she said too quickly.
"Erica." His voice softened. "You don't have to be fine all the time."
That nearly undid her. There was something in his tone — gentler than she deserved, more patient than she expected. For a heartbeat, she wanted to tell him everything.
But then the phone buzzed again on the table.
Dylan glanced at it. "You gonna answer that?"
Erica's breath caught. "It's nothing," she said, reaching for it too fast. She flipped it over, face down.
He frowned slightly. "You've been getting a lot of 'nothings' lately."
She froze, her fingers tightening on the phone. "It's just spam texts, Dylan. Don't start reading into things."
He raised an eyebrow, but didn't push. "Alright. But if someone's bothering you, I want to know."
"I said it's nothing."
Silence settled, thick and uneasy.
Dylan took a slow sip of his coffee, eyes never leaving her. "You're a terrible liar, you know that?"
Her heart stuttered. "I'm not lying."
"You are," he said quietly. "You get this look every time you're holding something back."
"Drop it, Dylan."
He leaned back, nodding slowly. "Okay. But don't expect me not to notice."
She looked away, guilt burning in her chest.
After breakfast, he left for the hospital again. As soon as his truck disappeared down the road, Erica finally let her mask fall. Her hands shook as she unlocked her phone and scrolled through her messages.
Still no name. No clue. Just the two messages that refused to disappear.
Her heart raced as she opened her email next — and froze.
A new message.
Subject: We need to talk — before he finds out.
The sender's name made her stomach twist.
Ryan Hale.
Her past had a name now.
Erica pressed a hand to her forehead, the room spinning. Ryan was supposed to be gone — out of the state, out of her life. She hadn't seen him in years. And now he was back, threatening everything she'd built with Dylan.
Her thumb hovered over the screen. She opened the message.
> You can ignore my calls, Erica, but this isn't going away. We need to meet — soon. He deserves to know the truth before someone else tells him.
The words blurred as tears stung her eyes.
She sank onto the couch, clutching the phone like it might bite.
The truth. The one she'd buried under new memories, under Dylan's warmth, under the fragile peace they'd finally built.
Now it was rising again, louder, closer.
And she knew — when Dylan found out, everything could shatter.
-To be continued....