The silence in the car was thick. Kaven gripped the wheel tightly as the narrow road twisted through the dense trees. Lara sat beside him, the folder Juliette had handed over now resting on her lap like it weighed a hundred pounds.
They hadn't spoken much since Juliette left them at the lake house. Just a few words. A few glances. And now… this.
A cabin stood at the end of the road — old but sturdy. Hidden. Remote.
As they stepped out, Lara looked around nervously. No visible cameras. No humming sounds. Just the creak of wood and the distant calls of birds.
"Are you sure no one knows about this place?" she asked.
Kaven gave a short nod. "My father used to use this when he needed to… disappear for a while. I don't think even Hartley knows it exists."
They entered. The air inside was cold, stale, but safe. Kaven checked the windows, bolted the door, and turned to Lara.
"Okay," he said. "Let's talk about what the hell that was."
Lara opened the folder again. Her fingers skimmed the names. Hers. Her mother's. Catherine Hale. Mr. Hartley.
The silence stretched.
"How did Juliette even get this folder?" Kaven muttered, pacing. "If this came from the inside… someone had to be watching everything from the beginning. Someone still is."
Lara swallowed. "She said she worked with my mom. That they tried to stop it. Maybe… she took these before they wiped everything out."
Kaven leaned over her shoulder, reading through a document again. "This resonance project… she said your mom wanted to shut it down. That it wasn't what they said it was."
"And it messed with memories," Lara said softly. "Maybe… that's why I don't remember any of it."
Kaven looked at her. "You think they did it on purpose? To you?"
She hesitated, then nodded.
"I think I was part of it," she said quietly. "An experiment. And someone wanted me to forget."
Kaven's eyes flicked toward the window.
They both heard it — a faint noise in the distance. Not close. But not far enough either.
"We're not staying long," he said sharply. "Just long enough to figure out what's in here. Then we keep moving."
Lara didn't respond. Her eyes were fixed on a page — a photo clipped to the corner. Blurred. Black and white. But she knew that face.
It was her father. And beside him — unmistakably — was Hartley.
"Why didn't he ever tell me he knew them?" she whispered.
Kaven froze. "Wait. That's him?"
Lara nodded, her voice shaking now. "He said nothing. Not once."
Kaven stared at the photo. His jaw tightened.
"This changes everything."
---
End of Chapter 19