Chapter 16
Chapter Sixteen
Cambridge, Massachusetts
T he woods were thick with a cold, damp mist, making every breath feel heavy. The mud clung to their shoes with every step that they took. Delilah’s face twisted in discomfort as she kept looking down at her once-pristine shoes.
“Should we even be doing this? This feels wrong,” Eleanor said, her phone’s flashlight cutting through the darkness in shaky beams.
“Are we even going the right way?” Sebastian muttered, squinting at the path ahead.
“The map says it’s this way,” Augustus replied, a hint of frustration creeping into his voice.
“Your phone’s fucked up anyway,” Sebastian grumbled.
“Would you like to try instead?” Augustus shot back, his patience wearing thin.
“Can you both shut up?” Lilia hissed, his tone sharp with unease. “This is the stupidest idea you’ve had yet. We shouldn’t even be here right now. Someone should be talking to Orion Blake.”
“We’re nearly there,” Augustus insisted.
A sudden snap of a tree branch behind them made Delilah’s eyes widen with fear. “What was that?”
“An animal. We’re in the woods, Delilah,” Sebastian said, rolling his eyes.
The sound came again, louder this time, making them all pause and turn.
“Walk faster,” Lilia urged, her eyes darting around the dark forest.
Finally, the outline of the cabin emerged through trees. It was a small, weather-beaten structure, its wooden exterior aged and worn. The place looked abandoned, the overgrown weeds crawling up the walls and windows that hadn’t been cleaned in years.
“There’s no way this is it,” Sebastian frowned. His skepticism is apparent.
“This is the address,” Augustus replied, though he seemed a bit unsure himself. The cabin was not what they were expecting—more of a shack than a hideout.
The door creaked open as they stepped inside. The air was stale, carrying the scent of damp wood and neglect. They spread out, each quietly searching through the cabin, their breaths visible in the cool air.
Eleanor made her way to a small dresser in the corner of the room. As she rummaged through the drawers, she found a bundle of clothes—Willow’s clothes. Eleanor’s hands trembled as she picked up the familiar sweater. “Guys,” she called out, her voice barely above a whisper. “Come look at this.”
The others gathered around her, their eyes widening as they recognized the clothing.
“She was here then,” Augustus murmured, grabbing another article of clothing.
Eleanor continued shuffling through the drawers. She opened another and found a stack of photographs. She flipped through them—most were nature shots. Miscellaneous things here and there. As she flipped through another album, one photo, in particular, caught her attention. It was of Professor Jameson, standing beside a woman in front of the very cabin they were in.
“Is that . . . ” Eleanor’s voice trailed off in shock.
“Jameson. That’s Professor Jameson,” Lilia confirmed, her eyes narrowing.
“No, that doesn’t make sense. He’s married or something, isn’t he?” Augustus asked, his mind struggling to piece together the new information.
“It’s not exactly the oddest thing in the world for a married man to cheat on his wife,” Sebastian said dryly.
“So what—Jameson is the mystery older guy?” Delilah shook her head. “That makes no sense.”
“It makes enough sense. Willow was always talking about him—always looking forward to his class,” Lilia added.
“So? She was addicted to school, so what? That doesn’t mean she was in a relationship with Jameson.”
“Willow bragged about everything. There’s no way she would’ve kept this a secret from us—the three of us, at least.” Eleanor gestured to the other girls.
“Willow had her secrets, though. I can’t even be surprised that she kept it a secret. It seemed like she knew everything there was to know about us, but we knew nothing about her at all. She was basically a ghost,” Lilia added.
“She had three classes with him last semester,” Augustus remembered.
“She probably wanted to be able to see him as much as she could. It would’ve been hard to do that out in public. It would’ve ruined her reputation.” Sebastian ran his fingers through his hair, sighing. “This is fucked.”
“How could she just cheat on you like that, like it meant nothing? It’s disgusting.” Delilah scoffed.
Augustus and Lilia shared a glance.
“People do horrible things, Delilah. We’re not exactly the ones to judge anyone who their mistakes,” Sebastian murmured, his eyes scanning the photo album.
“Sometimes, I think the world we imagine is kinder than the one we live in. But then the edges blur, and I can’t tell which one I’m standing in anymore.” Eleanor ran a tired hand down her face. “The more I find out about her, the more I think I hate her.”
“Same,” they all replied in unison.
“I can’t believe we were friends with her,” Delilah whispered.
“She made us feel important. Spouting lies about our status, and how much we needed her. Her family, her money—everything about her drew us in. We played her game because it guaranteed us a place in this world. We’re no better than she was; at least she was open about it.”
Sebastian’s words hung in the air.
They were no better than her.
They might be worse.
Liars. Murders. Cheaters.
“We’re exactly who she wanted us to be,” Eleanor added.
A silence settled abaft the air; it was thick, eerily suffocating, ringing loudly with truth and self-loathing.
They were liars.
“How do we even know that Jameson is the mystery guy, anyway?” Delilah’s finger traced the photo.
Lilia glanced around the group.
“There’s only one way to find out.”
Lilia stormed through the university halls the following morning, her thoughts a chaotic mess as she made her way to Professor Jameson’s office. She didn’t knock, just barged in, her hand clutching the photograph tightly.
“To what do I owe the pleasure, Lilia?” Professor Jameson greeted her with a composed smile, though his eyes flickered with curiosity at her sudden entrance.
“What is this?” Lilia demanded, thrusting the photograph onto his desk.
Jameson’s expression shifted from surprise to something unreadable. “Where did you get this?”
“Why was Willow going to your cabin in Cambridge?”
“Lilia—” Jameson started, but she cut him off.
“Were you sleeping with her?” The words came out harsher than she intended, but she didn’t care. She needed answers.
Jameson’s frown deepened. “Watch your tone, Ms. Chen. I understand that you’re obviously stressed, but that does not give you the right to barge in here and accuse me.”
“That wasn’t a no,” Lilia pressed, her gaze never leaving his face.
Jameson sighed heavily, gesturing to the chair across from his desk. “Sit, please.” He closed the door softly before taking his seat. “Willow was in trouble,” he began after a moment, rubbing a tired hand down his face.
“What kind of trouble?” Lilia asked, gnawing nervously on her bottom lip.
“She said someone was threatening her. She was attempting to leave town. She came to me, hysterical about it. I offered her a place to stay outside of town so that she could think about her decision a bit more.”
Lilia furrowed her brow. “Was it because of the letter?”
“Well, yes. She wasn’t sure who to trust. I figured that’s why she came to me.”
“So, you guys weren’t having an affair?” she asked, relief coating her tone.
Jameson blinked. “No, dear gosh, I would never. She was at the cabin because she needed somewhere safe to stay.”
“Did she ever figure out who the letter might’ve been from?”
“Not that I know of,” Jameson replied. “We never spoke again after that day. I assumed she used the cabin at her leisure. But then a couple of days later, the news broke.”
Lilia leaned back against her chair, the tension in her shoulders not fully easing. There were still too many questions and not enough answers, and she feared time was running out.