Chapter 5 Behind The Closed Doors

Evelyn's Pov

"I have to keep her away from that room. If she finds out, everything will fall apart." he muttered.

I froze.

My mind raced with questions, what was Liam hiding? What was behind the locked door? And why did he seem so determined to keep me away from it?

I had returned to my room and an unsettling feeling washed over me. In all that I had seen, everything I had witnessed, something secret, something sinister lay just beneath the surface. But what could it be? I thought to myself with a nagging in the back of my mind that would not go away.

My thoughts were a maelstrom of confusion, and my brain swam up from the depths of my last few minutes. And then all at once, like a thunderclap breaking through the gauzy fog, my stomach growled in dissent, telling me that I had a more immediate desire.

Which I did, getting up from bed and going to the kitchen to eat. As I drew nearer, I caught sight of the butler, acting suspiciously, muttering something into a phone. His muffled conversation with the butler faded into the darkness before I became the ghost in the room and waited, silently, for his presence to evaporate. When the coast was finally clear, I snuck into the kitchen for a quick snack and then retreated to the privacy of my room.

Safely beyond the four walls of my sanctuary I wolfed down the morsel in a few gulps, reason for appetite temporarily satiated. Once more back on the bed, I returned to my position and reflected on the events of the day until sleep finally won.

The following morning, the morning sun entered from the window, and its beams chased the remaining shadow of the previous day quickly away. However, despite the lightness of the dawn, I still felt a burden within me.

Before I knew it, I had not only given myself a cathartic, yet brisk shower but also clothed myself in something comfortable, ready to go out and see the gardens of the Estate, when a gentle knock at the door stopped me.

When I open the door, I was welcomed by a maid. Her smile was full of warmth and gentleness. Through her lips, the woman announced, "Good morning, madam. I have come for you for breakfast, madam", her voice was very soft and respectful.

"Thank you, I will be there soon," I nodded in agreement.

Because of that, I passed my room and proceeded to the dining hall, but the weight of the doubt that lived in the back of my mind was continuously present in the form of a storm cloud on the horizon.

I walked into the dining room and saw Liam sitting there, his face expressionless as our eyes met. No words were exchanged as he quietly ate his breakfast. "Is this really the guy I have to live with?" I thought to myself, unable to stop glancing at him.

"Are you done staring?" His deep voice broke the silence, cutting through the quiet that filled the room.

Trying not to panic, I looked away, focusing on my food instead. But even as I tried to steady myself, I could sense Liam getting ready to leave. Gathering my courage, I turned to him as he stood up.

"Are you going to work?" My voice shook a bit, revealing my nervousness. He met my gaze with a cold stare, nodded briefly, and left without saying anything.

When Liam left the room, he left a cold feeling behind. I took a deep breath and looked at the locked door. I felt a surge of excitement as I considered the chance that was now before me.

"This is my moment," I thought, a spark of resolve lighting up my gaze. "I will find out what lies behind that door."

I walked to the door, my steps loud in the hall. Each step made my heart beat faster in my chest.

Holding to the door, I brought my palm to the cold of the metal knob and the chill, its temperature so different from the warmth of my skin shocked me. I had a firm grip in my hand, I turned the knob its loud click for the lock to break as it detached itself through the quiet corridor being heard.

I cautiously pushed it open in a still trembling breath at the anticipation of what lay beyond, and then, out of nowhere, the butler showed up.

His voice cut through the silence, icy and accusatory. "Ma'am, what are you doing?"

I turned around, my hand still holding the doorknob, my voice shaking as I tried to come up with the right words. "I... I was just... passing by."

The butler looked at me with intense eyes, whose doubt hung in the air. "Is that so?" he said, his words dripping with skepticism.

I nodded.

"I suggest you return to your room," he said, his tone taking on a dangerous edge. A shame if Mr Liam finds out you've been looking around.

I swallowed hard, understanding that any further complaint would only worsen the circumstance. Bowing meekly, slunk away from the doorway, one last time I took a look over my shoulder into the unknown.

"There's got to be some other way," I muttered to myself, my determination set firm by the experience. "I will uncover the truth, no matter what the cost."

I went inside my room, and it was there that I let myself fall onto the bed, my mind still swimming from the failure in trying to find out what lay behind that locked door. The white ceiling above seemed to stare mockingly at my futile try, as if laughing with its silence.

As I lay there, deep in thought, my cell phone buzzed with an important message. "Hey, how have you been?" Justin's words saluted me-a welcome diversion from the weight of my concerns.

I welcomed the distraction well enough to type a response. "I'm fine, and you? Don't worry about it." My finger hovered over the send button for a second before I let it go with a sigh, permitting myself a little break from turmoil that was still hiding in my mind.

I waited, but as second after silent second was killed, I fully understood that everything wasn't going to go the way I wanted it to. I slung the phone onto the bed, frustrated-the ringing bounced through the silent space.

"I'm so bored," I grumbled heavily, my voice resigned, and then, as if the light bulb went off in my head, something remembered itself to me: the garden! It had felt so serene and inviting that day when I did my rounds in the mansion grounds, so maybe it would work to get me away from this oppressive atmosphere weighing heavy in these hallways.

In an instant, I was standing and ready to look for the green haven. Reaching for the door handle, my phone jingled into life. Lowering my eyes to the screen, the name of my mother appeared insistently on it, and I frowned, ignoring her call.

"Not now," I whispered, her name disappearing from the screen as I silenced the call. With a decided step, I left the room.