Page 35 of Symphony for Lies (Tangled Truths #2)

The following day came, but it felt like time had stopped. My grandmother and I had breakfast together as if nothing happened. She tried to coax a smile from my lips, but everything felt wrong.

I moved through the day mechanically, functioning like an automaton. My body went through the motions, and my mouth formed the right words, but inside, I was hollow.

I scrolled through the group chat with my friends during my lunch break. It was full of messages asking if I was okay, if I had spoken to Zane, and if the news about his engagement was true.

I typed a short response.

Amelia:

I broke up with him. No big deal. I’m fine.

Then, I put my phone away. Zane had tried to contact me countless times. His messages were long and filled with apologies, but I didn’t read them all. I just blocked his number.

After work, I was walking home when Ivy, my neighbor’s cat, suddenly rushed toward me.

She wove between my legs, her silky fur brushing against my pants.

Frowning, I bent down and scooped her up, gently stroking behind her ears.

Susan never left Ivy to roam outside alone.

A bad feeling settled in my gut as my gaze flickered to Susan’s front door.

Something wasn’t right.

I rang her doorbell.

No answer.

I rang again.

Nothing.

She was elderly; what if she had fallen? Biting my lip, I pulled out my phone and dialed the police.

“Hello, my name is Amelia Walker. I’m not sure if something is wrong, but my neighbor—”

A scream pierced the air.It came from my house.

Grandma !

I didn’t think. I just ran. The front door was unlocked.

“Grandma?”

She had collapsed on the living room floor, clutching her chest.

“Grandma!”

I dropped my phone and fell to my knees beside her. Her skin was pale, and her lips trembled. In her weak grip, she held a phone with an ongoing call.

A familiar voice echoed from the speaker. Spencer.

With shaky hands, I pressed the speaker button.“Spencer! My grandmother… she’s barely moving. She—”

“Amelia?” he asked urgently.

“What happened?” I gasped.

“I’m on my way. I’m calling an ambulance now.”

The line went dead.

My grandmother’s fingers weakly curled around mine just as a thin trickle of snot slid from her nose.

Shit. The cat hair.

Panic surged through my chest. I yanked off my sweater and threw it aside. Her allergy. Goddamn it.

“Grandma, stay with me,” I begged, trying to prop her up.

Sirens wailed in the distance, and after a few minutes that felt like an eternity, Paramedics rushed in through the open door.

“Careful,” one of them said as he gently took my grandmother from my arms, laying her onto a stretcher.

They asked me questions, but I couldn’t answer.

I sat frozen as they worked, unable to process anything.

“Amelia!” Spencer’s shout rang through the house.He found me instantly, rushing to my side and helping me to my feet.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, his voice laced with guilt. “I didn’t know the news would affect your grandmother like this.”

What news?

What the hell was happening?

“What are you talking about?” I rasped.

“You were right, Amelia. The bride, the wildflowers… It was the right location from the start.” His words rang in my skull like a distant echo. “The victim only had one emergency contact. No family.”

Victim?

“We found Miss Susan Rivers’ body.”

The world spun.

“We had to notify the next of kin.”

Susan? Body?

“Susan?”

Ivy curled around my leg.

My thoughts were a chaotic storm.

My grandmother had heard the news. The shock must have hit her too hard.

Spencer’s gaze was filled with regret.“I’m so sorry.”

I swallowed back the lump in my throat. No. I couldn’t break yet.“Take me to the hospital.”

He nodded. “Get dressed first.”

I ran upstairs, throwing on clothes as fast as possible before following him outside.

“I’m sorry.” The doctor’s voice was calm, too calm.

I struggled to process his words.“Am I understanding you correctly?”

He nodded solemnly, but my mind refused to accept it.

“My grandmother… she doesn’t have long to live?”

The doctor inhaled deeply. “Her heart disease has worsened significantly. Her three main arteries are nearly completely blocked. Surgery was never an option and still isn’t.”

I licked my dry lips, still not fully comprehending.

“We’ve stabilized her for now. She’ll remain under observation for a few days.”

He hesitated.“You should prepare yourself. She has three, maybe four months at most.”

I blinked once. Twice.

“You can see her now,” he said, walking away.

Spencer stood silently beside me.

I didn’t want to hear anything. My head felt so heavy.

“Thanks for the ride.” My voice was foreign even to myself. “You can go.”

He stared at me for a long moment before rubbing the back of his neck.“If you need anything, call me. You’re not alone.”

I didn’t answer.

Thankfully, he understood and didn’t push.

I watched his shadow disappear down the hallway beforestepping into the hospital room.

My grandmother lay in bed with monitors attached to her frail body.I couldn’t look directly at her.

Instead, I sat beside her and gripped her hand.

Her fingers weakly curled around mine. “The doctor told you.”

I nodded numbly.

“I’m sorry I hid it from you.”

My throat felt like it was closing. Suddenly, I remembered all the signs: she had been taking a new medication, and after Tristan’s performance, she was subtly saying goodbye while crying. Every little expression on her face declared that something was wrong.

And I was too foolish to realize.

“I didn’t know how to tell you. My poor girl, you’ve already lost so much. And now, me too…”

“You’re still here,” I said, my voice barely breaking above a whisper.

Her grip tightened.“Amelia, look at me.”

Slowly, I lifted my gaze to meet her emerald eyes. There were no tears and no regret. She had already made peace with death.

“I wanted to tell you. I had everything prepared… I took care of things behind your back…”

I exhaled shakily.

“The fact that you had to find out this way on such a terrible day…” Her weak voice wavered. “…I’m sorry, my child.”

“Grandma, please, just rest. ”

She gently pulled my hand to her stomach.“Susan was a wonderful woman. A dear friend.” Her face was grief-stricken.

But my mind still felt numb.

I just sat beside her, holding her hand, listening as she murmured to herself. Nothing really sank in.

Eventually, she asked me to go home, even though I wanted to stay. But she pleaded with me, and I couldn’t refuse her.

Outside, the rain was relentless. Heavy sheets of water pounded against the pavement as I stepped out of the suffocating hospital and into a waiting taxi.

When I arrived at my house, my gaze drifted to Susan’s empty home, then to mine. Both houses felt unbearably silent.

I let the rain drench me, seeping through my clothes.

Thunder rumbled overhead in low, rolling growls that vibrated through my chest.

And still, I stood there, letting the cold seep in.

When I was chilled to the bone, I finally went inside.

The silence was suffocating. Foreign.

I moved on autopilot, my body acting without thought. I needed a shower—yes, a shower. My grandmother had allergies, and I couldn’t have any cat hair on me.

I scrubbed myself clean and even dried my hair, just as my grandmother always reminded me to.

Then, I walked downstairs.

The kitchen was dim, the shadows stretching long across the walls. I stood in the doorway, my heart clenching painfully.

Something soft brushed against my legs.

Ivy.

She let out a tiny, plaintive meow, her sleek fur pressing against my pants.

I bent down and stroked behind her ears absentmindedly.

My eyes flicked toward the dark window.

A hollow ache filled my chest as I scooped the cat into my arms. She was hungry.

I filled one bowl with water and another with tuna.

Ivy ate like she was ravenous.

My vision blurred with unshed tears. Susan always fed her with so much love…

A sharp pain spread through my chest. I had promised Susan I’d visit and have tea with her. And I never did.

I inhaled deeply, but my lungs felt constricted as if they couldn’t expand fully.

She was the third victim, and I couldn’t prevent it. I had no idea… Her death was surprising and terrifying.

And my grandma…

Was I supposed to be grateful that I had time to prepare? Was it really better knowing what was coming?

No.

I didn’t want to prepare.

A loud clap of thunder rattled the windows, and the rain pounded harder.

Ivy flinched, leaving her food to leap into my arms.

I held her close, carrying her into the living room.

The storm outside raged on, and the wind howled through the cracks in the house.

There was a knock.

I froze mid-step.

Another knock. And another.

I wanted to ignore it. I wanted to be alone.

But then the doorbell rang. Long, loud, and insistent.

Ivy hissed, slipping from my arms.

I sighed and dragged myself to the door.

I cracked it open and found Zane standing in the pouring rain.

His face was unreadable beneath the flickering streetlights.

“What are you doing here?” My voice was raw.

He stepped forward, rain dripping from his clothes and pooling at his feet.“I’m scared of thunderstorms.”

The storm outside was brutal; no one who truly feared it would willingly step out into the heart of it.

“Scared?” I repeated.

“Scared to death.” His eyes searched mine. “That’s why I need to be with you.”

Tears burned the back of my throat, but I tried to stay strong. I tried.

Without waiting for permission, Zane stepped inside, shut the door behind him, and pulled me into his arms.

I broke.

Uncontrolled, choked sobs escaped me until I was gasping for air, clutching onto him like he was the only thing holding me together.

I cried for so long.

And Zane said nothing.

He just held me, letting me unravel in his embrace.

At some point, we ended up on the floor, his back against the wall.

I sat curled up in his lap with his arms wrapped protectively around me.Zane’s thumb gently brushed away my stray tears and kissed my forehead.

I felt so helpless.

“I-I never knew my parents,” I whimpered.“My grandparents are all I have.” I dug my fingers into my hair, pressing hard against my scalp to ground myself. “I already lost my grandfather, and now, I’m supposed to lose my grandmother, too?” My voice faltered. “N-no.”

Memories flooded my mind, one after another. All the beautiful memories with her. And with Susan, who had been like a second grandmother to me. “She was just taken from me… I couldn’t even apologize for taking her bike or not visiting...”

Zane’s arms locked around me like a shield, but I pulled away, pushing myself onto shaky legs.

“Y-you need to…” I wanted to tell him to leave, but sending him back into the storm felt wrong.“You need to dry off,” I whispered instead.

I rubbed my face harshly, wiping the tears away and forcing myself to breathe. I took a step, and my world tilted.Black spots danced at the edges of my vision.

I was falling, but I never hit the ground. Zane caught me.

His lips brushed against my forehead.“Sleep, my angel. Don’t think about anything. I’m here.”

Instantaneously, I sank into his warmth and let sleep take me.