Episode 4

Chapter 8: Denial and Deception

Anya awoke with a start, the woman's whispers still echoing in her mind.

She had spent the night wrestling with the complexities of the situation, the delicate balance between compassion and practicality.

As the morning light streamed through the window, she decided to check on Alexander.

She found him in the garden, walking slowly, the morning sun warming his face.

He looked surprisingly well, the pallor of illness receding.

Anya approached him cautiously. "Good morning, Alexander. How are you feeling?"

He looked up, a flicker of surprise in his eyes. "Better, thank you. I think I'm finally starting to feel like myself again."

Anya was relieved, but also a little wary. "That's good to hear. I… I believe I've made some progress with the… the entities."

Alexander waved a dismissive hand. "Please, don't mention those things. I don't believe in spirits, in ghosts. It's all… superstition."

Anya was taken aback. "But…"

Before she could say anything further, Mr.

Thorne approached them. "Alexander, there's something I need to discuss with you."

Alexander sighed. "Grandfather, I appreciate your concern, but I really don't want to talk about it anymore."

Mr. Thorne looked at him, his eyes filled with a mixture of concern and sadness. "Alexander, this is important. This… this is about your mother."

As Anya already told what happened last night to Mr.throne.

Alexander stiffened. "My mother? What about her?"

Mr. Thorne hesitated, then took a deep breath. "I… I need to be honest with you, Alexander. Your mother… she didn't die during childbirth."

Alexander stared at his grandfather, his face pale. "What… what are you talking about?"

Mr. Thorne looked away, his voice trembling. "She… she was murdered."

The words hung heavy in the air. Alexander felt a cold dread creeping into his bones. He couldn't remember, couldn't recall anything about his mother's death. All he knew was the vague, comforting narrative his grandfather had constructed – a tragic loss, a mother succumbing to complications after childbirth.

"Why… why didn't you tell me?" Alexander demanded, his voice rising. "Why did you lie to me?"

Mr. Thorne looked at him, his eyes filled with regret. "I… I was afraid, Alexander. Afraid of what the truth would do to you. You were so young, so fragile. I didn't want to burden you with the trauma of your mother's death."

Alexander felt a wave of dizziness wash over him. The world seemed to tilt on its axis. His mother… murdered. And he, a child, had witnessed it all. The forgotten memories, the suppressed trauma, began to surface, fragments of a horrifying nightmare.

He looked at Anya, his eyes wide with a mixture of fear and confusion. He saw the understanding in her eyes, the knowledge that he had been living a lie, that his past was far more complex, far more terrifying than he ever imagined.

The truth, long buried, had finally come to the surface, shattering the fragile peace he had begun to find. And Anya, the woman who had come to help him, now stood as a silent witness to the unraveling of his carefully constructed reality.

Episode end

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