Page 40 of Symphony for Lies (Tangled Truths #2)

It wasn’t beautiful. It was a fucking curse, born into a family that controlled every move you made, even the way you breathed.

That night was supposed to be my last performance.

Just one last song. Then I’ll disappear forever.

I stepped onto the stage, staring at a sea of people with polished, vacant expressions.

I was searching, always searching for something.

And then, I saw her .

I didn’t know her name. But the way she looked at me…

Everyone in the audience smiled, nodding along to the melody, convinced it was full of warmth. But she saw the lie. She saw the darkness in every note.

Something grew inside my heart that I couldn’t quite understand at the time.

It made me curious, so I kept playing.

I searched for her in every crowd, every performance. When she wasn’t there, the music was meaningless.

And Tristan noticed.

He made a scene, claiming she was his muse.

Fucking bastard.

The second I learned her name, she was already mine.

No one else was allowed to have her.

Especially him.

But when I saw how she sometimes looked at him, soft, gentle, and affectionate, I felt something new. Something raw and scary. Fear. The fear of losing her.

And that was unforgivable.

My phone buzzed, dragging me back to the present.

I forced my mind back into reality, back to the world where Amelia was still just out of reach, a world where every second without her felt like a goddamn eternity.

That evening, I stood outside Amelia’s apartment with flowers. Better ones than Spencer’s.

When she opened the door, the world around us faded. She was glowing, her hair tied back loosely with stray strands teasing the delicate curve of her face. That smile… it could ruin me.

“You’re just in time. I just finished cooking.”

The second her soft fingers wrapped around my wrist to pull me inside, my body acted instinctually.

Was I a gentleman? Not a chance. Not with her. I was yearning for every touch, but I somehow kept my cool.

I sat at the table, watching as she proudly placed a plate of lasagna before me.

“I hope it’s good,” she murmured, eyes filled with expectation.

I wasn’t hungry, not for food, anyway. I could’ve gone another lifetime without a meal, but her? I was starving for her. Still, just to see her smile, I set the flowers down and picked up the fork.

As I ate, my gaze wandered across the room to the scattered papers on the coffee table.

Amelia flushed. “Sorry for the mess. I was working on the case and didn’t have time to clean up.”

Just like that, my mood shifted.“What case?”

“Spencer needs my help with the notes.” Her voice was casual, as if she hadn’t just said the one thing that could send me spiraling.

Spencer!

“Why? Can’t he figure it out himself? What kind of cop is he if he constantly needs you—”

Her lips crashed onto mine, silencing me in an instant. Soft. Warm. Addictive.

A groan rumbled in my chest, my body immediately caving to her. But just as I went to deepen the kiss, she pulled away. I let out a frustrated sigh.

She giggled, planting another soft peck on my lips, teasing me.“I’m not doing anything dangerous. I promise. I just want to solve the notes. ”

I exhaled, defeated.

The woman controlled me in ways I couldn’t even comprehend.

Later in the evening, we sat on the couch, her notes sprawled between us. The pattern was becoming apparent.

The first murder—the beginning.

The second—a warning.

The third—the end.

But the notes found in the basement, the ones left with me, didn’t match.

“If she finds you, I win,”I read the words aloud through clenched teeth.

Amelia sighed, tension weighing on her.

I didn’t like it.

“What does this person think they’ve won?” she murmured, deep in thought. “Also... at work, a few things have gone missing again. What if the killer was there to prepare another attack?”

“You think it has something to do with the murderer?”

She shrugged. “I don’t know. But when I checked the footage with Jeff again, the monitors went black. It seems like someone deliberately deleted the footage. We have security guards now, though. They told me nothing unusual happened, so maybe I am wrong.”

She leaned back and stared at the notes for a moment, her brows furrowed. “But… I have a feeling... something will happen.” She looked at me. “What do you think?”

“Does it matter?” I pulled her close, inhaling her scent, grounding myself in her warmth. “Stop overthinking. Whoever this bastard is, he just wants to create chaos. ”

And honestly? I didn’t give a damn about finding him. I had no leads. No traceable evidence. The security footage from my house had been wiped clean.

Whoever the culprit was, they weren’t reckless. They were methodical. I knew all too well what it felt like to be powerless. To be trapped in a situation with no way out.

Amelia saved me.

She was my light. And I’d burn the whole damn world down before I let anyone take her from me.

She yawned, her body melting against mine. “You’re right,” she mumbled, her voice thick with sleep. “It’s pointless for now.”

I scooped her up effortlessly, carried her to bed, and pulled her face against my chest.

Sighing softly, I watched the steady rise and fall of her chest, the way her lips parted slightly, and how peaceful she looked in sleep.

I let my finger trace over her cheek, committing the moment to memory.

Then, finally, I let sleep take me, too.