Chapter 1 - THE SHADOW OF BEATRICEThe name Beatrice hung in the air like poison, instantly choking the warmth out of the room.
My hands began to shake as I stared at Caleb. Beatrice had been his high school sweetheart—a gentle, soft-spoken girl with wide blue eyes who had tragically taken her own life six years ago. Her death had broken Caleb. For two years after her passing, my son had lived like a ghost in our attic, refusing to eat, refusing to speak, consumed by an unbearable grief that no doctor or therapist could cure. We thought he had healed when he met Katherine. We thought Katherine was his light in the dark.
Now, looking into his bloodshot eyes, I realized the terrifying truth: Caleb had never healed. He had only learned how to wear a mask.
"Caleb..." my voice trembled, barely a whisper. "What does Beatrice have to do with Katherine? Katherine didn't even know Beatrice! She moved to Oakhaven Springs three years ago!"
Caleb let out a bitter, raspy laugh. He wiped the sweat from his forehead with the back of his hand, leaving a smear of dark dirt across his pale skin. "That’s what she told you, Mom. That’s the lie she sold to all of us. She pretended to be an angel. She walked into our lives, baked cookies, helped you in the garden, and made you fall in love with her. But she isn't an angel. She’s a monster."
"Explain yourself!" Robert demanded, his voice booming through the hallway. My husband walked up to Caleb, grabbing him by the collar of his silk dress shirt. Robert’s face was flushed with red rage. "You laid hands on your wife! On your wedding night! There is no excuse on this earth for what you did!"
"She killed her!" Caleb screamed back, tears streaming down his face as he pushed Robert’s hands away. "Katherine killed Beatrice!"
Silence crashed down upon us.
Down the hall, in the guest bedroom, I heard a quiet gasp. Frank had left the door cracked open. Katherine was inside, listening to every single word.
"What are you talking about?" I asked, my heart hammering against my ribs. "Beatrice took her own life, Caleb. The police report, the suicide note... we were all there."
"Beatrice didn't just decide to die one day," Caleb hissed, his eyes wide and unblinking. "Someone pushed her to the edge. Someone systematically ruined her life, leaked her private photos, sent her hundreds of anonymous death threats, and drove her off the Oakhaven bridge. For six years, I searched for the person behind the anonymous account that tormented her. Last month... I finally cracked the old hard drive Beatrice left behind."
Caleb pulled a crumpled piece of paper from his pocket and threw it at my feet.
"The IP address traced back to an old apartment in Chicago," Caleb whispered, his voice dripping with venom. "Leased under the name Katherine Vance. Your precious daughter-in-law was Beatrice’s secret tormentor. She drove my first love to suicide... and then she walked into my life pretending to be my savior."
I looked down at the paper, my head spinning. The world felt like it was tilting on its axis. Was my son a delusional abuser, or was the sweet woman resting in our guest room a calculated murderer?
Before I could pick up the paper, a soft, trembling voice echoed from the hallway.
"That's a lie," Katherine sobbed.
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We all turned. Katherine was standing at the threshold of the guest room, holding her bruised ribs, her face pale as paper. Blood trickled down from a small cut near her hairline. But despite her injuries, her eyes locked onto Caleb with an intensity that sent chills down my spine.
"I didn't drive Beatrice to suicide, Caleb," Katherine whispered, taking a slow, painful step forward. "Because Beatrice isn't dead."
