Edge of the Dark

Chapter 143: Chapter 142: The Truth of the Dead

The silence of the apartment was suffocating. Ethan sat in front of his laptop, staring at the glowing screen, his mind spinning from the revelations Lila had uncovered. He had thought he was done with this — done with the questions, the lies, the webs of deceit that had entangled him for so long. But the truth, it seemed, was never done with him. It would not leave him alone, no matter how far he ran, no matter how many times he tried to bury it.

His fingers hovered over the keys as he reread the file in front of him. The documents, each one more intricate and revealing than the last, painted a picture he wasn't sure he was ready to see. Ava Dawson's name kept resurfacing in the details, woven into the fabric of everything that had happened. Her involvement, her choices, her role in the chain of events leading to the deaths, the betrayals, the chaos — it all connected, but the pieces didn't fit in the way he expected.

Grace stood at the counter, her back to him, preparing tea. Her presence was a quiet comfort, but it did nothing to quell the storm raging inside him. Every time he looked at her, he was reminded of how close they had come to losing everything — how close he had come to losing her.

The phone buzzed on the table beside him, snapping him out of his reverie. It was a message from Lila.

You need to see the rest of the files, Ethan. The truth about Ava... it's the key. It's all connected. The dead have their say, even if it's from beyond the grave.

The hairs on the back of his neck stood on end as he read her words. The dead? Ethan had spent so much time trying to understand the living — their motives, their fears, their lies — that he had neglected to consider the one force that had always been present: death itself.

What was it that the dead were trying to tell him? What had Ava done that made her such a key player in this game of life and death? And why, after everything that had happened, was it so important to confront the past now?

His mind raced as he scrolled through the rest of the files Lila had sent him. They were chilling, each word more horrifying than the last. Ava's actions — her decisions — had set off a chain reaction, one that had led to the deaths of more people than Ethan had ever imagined. And yet, there was something more to it. Something hidden beneath the surface, something that only the dead could reveal.

He clicked open the final document, his breath catching in his throat as the truth slowly began to unravel before him.

Deceased: Nathaniel Bishop

The name struck him like a blow to the chest. Nathaniel. The police chief. The man he had known, the man who had been both his ally and his rival, had been at the center of this all along. But it wasn't just his death that had been part of the story. It was the way he had died. The truth behind his murder, the events leading up to it — it was all tied to the same dark force that had driven Ava to make the choices she had.

Ethan leaned back in his chair, his head spinning. He had thought he understood Nathaniel's death. He had thought he knew who was responsible. But the truth was far more complicated than he had ever anticipated.

Nathaniel hadn't just been a victim. He had been a part of something much larger, something far darker than Ethan could have imagined. His death wasn't just a casualty in a battle between good and evil. It was a calculated move, a key part of a much grander scheme.

Ethan's fingers trembled as he read on.

The Investigation:

The investigation into Nathaniel's death had been thorough but incomplete. Ethan had always suspected there were pieces missing, but he had never been able to find them. Now, reading through the details, he realized why.

Nathaniel had been killed because he had been too close to uncovering the truth. He had been digging into something that had far-reaching consequences — something that involved people in positions of power, people whose very existence depended on keeping the truth buried.

But Nathaniel hadn't been the only one digging. Ava had been there too, but she had a different agenda. She wasn't just trying to expose the truth — she had been trying to control it. And in doing so, she had manipulated everyone around her, including Ethan.

The realization hit him like a thunderclap. Ava had used him. She had played him like a puppet in her twisted game. He had thought they were allies, but in reality, he had been nothing more than a pawn in her pursuit of power and control. And now, everything he had believed in was crumbling around him.

He couldn't escape the truth. It was inescapable, like a shadow that clung to him no matter how fast he ran.

His gaze moved to the next file, and his heart skipped a beat. It was a photograph, one he recognized instantly. It was of Nathaniel, standing outside a building, his face drawn and serious, his eyes focused on something in the distance. But what struck Ethan was the date on the bottom of the photograph. It was taken just days before Nathaniel's death.

Ethan's mind raced. What had Nathaniel seen? What had he uncovered in those final days? The photograph was a clue, but a clue to what?

He scrolled through the rest of the files, his eyes searching for something, anything that could help him make sense of it all. And then, he found it. A single name, buried deep within a pile of legal documents and financial records.

Sophia Miller.

The widow of the victim he had been hired to investigate. The woman who had led him down this path in the first place. The woman who had seemed so innocent, so vulnerable. But now, reading her name in this context, everything changed. She wasn't just a victim — she was a part of the larger puzzle, a key player in the game.

Ethan's head spun as the pieces began to fall into place. Sophia's involvement, Nathaniel's death, Ava's manipulation — it was all connected. The truth, the real truth, was much darker than he had ever imagined. And the dead — Nathaniel, Sophia's husband, and so many others — had all been trying to tell him something.

But it was too late for them now.

The phone rang again, pulling him from his thoughts. His stomach dropped when he saw the caller ID. It was Lila.

He answered immediately, his voice shaky with urgency. "Lila, what the hell is going on? What is this? What does it all mean?" Nôv(el)B\\jnn

Her voice was calm, almost too calm. "It means you've been living a lie, Ethan. The truth was always there, but you refused to see it. Nathaniel wasn't just a casualty of the system. He was the system. And so was Ava. They were both part of something much bigger than you realized. And now, it's up to you to finish what they started."

Ethan's blood ran cold. "Finish it? What do you mean? What am I supposed to do?"

"You have to expose the truth," she said. "But be careful. Some truths are dangerous. And some people will stop at nothing to make sure they stay buried."

The call ended abruptly, leaving Ethan standing in the dark, alone with his thoughts and the weight of the truth.

The dead had spoken, but it was a truth that could never be fully understood. The story was still unfolding, and the consequences of knowing it would haunt him for the rest of his life.