This is an older work and unedited.
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Welcome to Secrets and Lies, a sequel to Watty Award-winning The Secret! To help you get in the mood, I wanted to set the scene by re-releasing the final chapter of the prequel. I'm attempting to make this story something that can stand alone without having to read Book One to enjoy Book Two, but you'll definitely get more out of it if you read The Secret first. Either way, I really hope you enjoy! I ask that you please take a moment to vote, comment and share. And as always--THANK YOU--for your support and kindness! You are the sweetest group of readers a writer could ask for.
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I've got some surprises up my sleeve for this story, readers with weak hearts may want to proceed with caution! ;)
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Final Scene from THE SECRET
A look of shock flickered across Steven's face as the bullet passed though his brain.
Charlie held the smoking gun in his hands and stared in disbelief at the gruesome sight before him. He found it difficult to tear his gaze away from the man who had tormented Sarah for so long. The man who now lay dead in his home, blood pooling around him.
A strained gasp drifted out from underneath Steven's body and Charlie moved his eyes toward the noise. The man's corpse lay like a blanket on top of Sarah, pinning her beneath him. He rushed to her side, kicking the body away with his foot and helping her to her feet. She fell exhausted against his chest, and allowed him to wrap his arms around her protectively.
He was in love with her. This emotionally fragile, yet remarkably brave woman had broken through his stubborn exterior and helped him move on from his own nightmare. Now, he would help her do the same. Closing his eyes, Charlie vowed to never again leave Sarah's side. No matter what. It didn't matter that she had lied about her past, it was painfully evident why she'd chosen to do so. And the consequences that needed to be faced in regard to all that had taken place--the fire, faking her own death, Steven's fate--they would face them together. There were laws devised to protect abused women, and Charlie was certain Sarah would have plenty of people on her side, fighting for her rights.
Sarah took the arm of her sweater and wiped it across her face, attempting to remove the remnants of the bloody struggle. Taking a shaky breath, she turned her head toward her husband's lifeless body. An expression Charlie had never seen before registered across her face--and her features--for the first time in months, finally relaxed.
It reminded him of ... freedom.
Slowly, Sarah broke away from his arms and moved toward Steven. She crouched down and stared at the hole, piercing through his forehead. The hole Charlie had put there. Steven's expression stared back; bloody, empty, dead.
"Until death do us part," she whispered back to him.
Charlie stood for several moments in silence, allowing Sarah her final farewell. He didn't want to leave her, not with the dead body of the man who had taken sick pleasure in torturing her for so long. Steven wouldn't be punishing her anymore; she was finally free.
Sarah rose from where Steven lay and walked toward Charlie, initiating an embrace.
"I love you," she whispered against his chest, catching him off guard. They were some of the sweetest words he had ever heard.
Looking around his home, at the result of the struggle that had taken place, Charlie felt a sense of calmness wash over him. He sighed deeply and brought Sarah tighter to him, realizing that no matter how firmly he held onto her it would never bring her close enough.
"I love you, too...Sarah," he answered back, as the melodic sound of a distant siren crept closer and closer.
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Conclusion of The Secret ...
"A prominent Seattle business man is dead tonight after his involvement in a bizarre story that could have been pulled straight from the pages of a thriller novel.
Steven Austin was shot and killed after he was found attacking his estranged wife, who has been missing for several months after a suspicious house fire.
It's an abusive game of cat and mouse you'll see here first on America Daily."
The affluent, older man turned away from the smiling reporter on his television screen, white hot fury flowing through his veins. How that journalist bitch could grin at a time like this only angered him further.
Sarah, he seethed, If you think you've gotten away with killing Steven, you'd better think again. There's no way I'm letting you walk away a free woman after murdering my son. Someday, I will make you pay.
I promise you that ...
And here we go! Thank you from the bottom of my heart for choosing to continue Talia and Charlie's story! XO