Sweet Vengeances
Chapter 57: Whispers in the Dark

Chapter 57: Chapter 57: Whispers in the Dark

Lily and Ethan worked in silent focus as the clock struck midnight. Long shadows were created across the room by the desk lamp’s weak brightness, which changed slightly with every change in the atmosphere. There was tension in the quiet between them, a tenuous truce held together by a common goal. The stakes felt unachievably high, notwithstanding how close they were.

Lily shuffled the papers on the table, grazing the edge of one with her fingers. Her voice was quiet but firm as she questioned, "Do you really think we’ll find what we’re looking for in Daniel’s financial records?"

Ethan kept his eyes fixed on his laptop’s screen and didn’t look up. There will be a money trail if Daniel is being coerced by Carlisle’s network. Even when people lie, transactions don’t.

His tone of certainty hardened Lily’s resolve. She couldn’t deny that, despite her misgivings about him, Ethan had a way of keeping her balanced when the ground under them felt unsteady.

She nodded and sat up straight in her chair. "After that, we continue to dig."

The two spent hours sorting through a maze of spreadsheets, encrypted files, and documents. With every new revelation—secret stories, mysterious transfers, and mysterious notes that alluded to something far more significant than Daniel’s adultery—the atmosphere in the room became thicker.

Lily’s thoughts were straying as the minutes turned into hours. Her eyes strayed to Ethan, who was bent over his laptop with a focused expression on his face. She found herself both enthralled and scared by the intensity of him. She couldn’t help but wonder what motivated him, what wounds he concealed behind his self-assured façade.

The silence was broken by Ethan’s voice. "I discovered something."

Lily leaned forward, startled out of her reverie. "What is it?"

Ethan pointed to a highlighted line on a printed page that he slid over the desk. "Take a look at this—a Daniel-named offshore account. Several deposits from Carlisle-affiliated shell corporations during the previous 12 months.

As Lily looked at the numbers, her stomach churned. The sums were astonishing, with each deposit being more than the one before it. She muttered, her voice shaking with a mixture of rage and vindication, "This... this could bury him."

"It’s a start," Ethan remarked somberly. However, it is insufficient. We require tangible evidence that links him to Carlisle’s activities. Something they are unable to deny.

Lily’s fists clenched. "How can we locate that?"

They were about to reply when Ethan heard a faint, nearly inaudible rustling sound outside the window. Both of them froze.

"What was that?" Lily’s voice was almost heard as she asked.

Ethan stood up quickly, his steps deliberate and deliberate. Taking a few steps across the room, he peered onto the street below, his hand barely grazing the drape. His keen eyes scoured the darkness, and his body stiffened.

His voice was low as he murmured, "Someone is watching us."

Lily’s heart pounded. "Are you certain?"

He took a step back and nodded. "Remain here."

Ethan vanished into the hallway with hushed footsteps before she could argue. Lily’s thoughts were racing as she stood motionless in the center of the room. Although she knew she would only be a liability, her instincts begged her to follow him.

Time passed slowly, with each second seeming to drag on forever. Then Ethan came back just as she was ready to lose her nerves. He had a somber yet calm face.

He declared, "They’re gone." "For the time being. However, this supports my suspicion that Carlisle’s staff are keeping an eye on us. They are keeping an eye on us.

Lily gasped for air. "What are we going to do?"

Ethan answered, "We proceed, but we do it cautiously." Despite his placid demeanor, there was a hint of urgency about it. "This flat is no longer secure. We’re moving to a safe house on the outskirts of the city that I know about tomorrow. It is safe.

Lily paused, her voice slipping into terror. "And if we are followed there?"

"They won’t," Ethan stated quietly and confidently. "I’ll see to that."

Lily wanted to believe him because of the steadiness in his tone. Ethan appeared to be the one reliable person in the midst of all the insanity that was going on around them.

She nodded and replied, "All right." "We’ll follow your instructions."

A glimmer of appreciation flickered in Ethan’s eyes as his expression relaxed. "All right. At dawn, we will depart.

Returning to the desk, he gathered the most crucial files. With a flurry of unanswered questions racing through her head, Lily watched him. However, one question kept coming to mind: how had her life devolved like this?

Neither of them was able to sleep as the hours passed slowly. Ethan sat at the window, his figure outlined by the dim glow of the city beyond, while Lily slept on the couch, gazing up at the ceiling.

Lily broke the hush with a soft "Ethan."

He pivoted, his eyes locking with hers.

She questioned, "Why are you helping me?" Indeed. You have the option to leave all of this.

Ethan remained silent for a while, his face unreadable. "Because I understand the feeling of being betrayed." to have everything you believed to be true torn away.

Lily’s chest constricted. "Does it ever become easier?"

He gave a headshake. "No. However, it strengthens you. And occasionally, you come across individuals who make it worthwhile to fight for.

She was surprised by the vulnerability in his voice. She was able to see behind the barriers he had put up around himself for the first time. Under the cool, collected façade, there was a guy with his own problems, a man who was prepared to fight for something bigger than himself despite everything.

"Thank you," she said quietly.

A small smile curved Ethan’s lips. "Lily, get some sleep. It will be a long day tomorrow.

Lily felt a glimmer of optimism break through the darkness as the first rays of morning peeked through the window. She didn’t feel totally alone for the first time in weeks.

And she understood that although the road ahead was unpredictable, she was prepared to face it as Ethan got ready for their next step.

With Ethan at her side, she was prepared to put an end to the voices in the dark that had attempted to shatter her.