Chapter 119 Chapter 119
Cass didn’t slam the door when she walked out.
She closed it quietly.
And somehow that felt worse.
Lena followed right behind her, still trying to process everything, while Jace stayed a step back, watching Cass like he was trying to figure out what she would do next.
Cass didn’t stop walking until she reached the end of the street.
Then she turned.
Sharp.
Focused.
“Adrian,” she said.
Her voice wasn’t shaking anymore.
It was steady.
Too steady.
Lena frowned. “Okay… we’re back to that name again.”
Cass nodded once.
“He was there that night,” she said. “And no one is talking about him.”
Jace’s jaw tightened slightly.
“I’ve heard the name before,” he admitted.
Cass looked at him instantly. “From who?”
Jace hesitated.
Then—
“My dad.”
Silence.
That hit differently.
Because now it wasn’t just a missing piece.
It was something actively hidden.
Cass stepped closer.
“What did he say?”
Jace ran a hand through his hair, frustrated.
“Not much. Just once. They were arguing—him and Marvin. Adrian came up and he shut it down immediately.”
Cass’s eyes narrowed.
“Shut it down how?”
Jace let out a breath.
“Like it wasn’t supposed to be mentioned. Ever.”
Lena muttered, “That’s not suspicious at all.”
Cass turned away again, pacing once.
Thinking fast now.
“Okay… so Adrian was there,” she said. “He’s connected to your dad. And somehow… everyone decided to erase him from the story.”
Jace nodded slowly.
“That sounds about right.”
Cass stopped pacing.
Then said something that made both of them go quiet.
“I think he’s the reason my dad is dead.”
Silence.
Heavy.
Immediate.
Lena shook her head. “Cass—”
“No,” Cass said. “Not directly. But something about him… started it. Or made it worse.”
Jace didn’t argue.
Because deep down—
it made sense.
Lena crossed her arms.
“So what now? We go knock on your dad’s door and ask nicely about the secret mystery man?”
Cass looked at her.
“No,” she said.
Then turned to Jace.
“We ask someone who’s already desperate.”
Jace frowned slightly.
“…Marvin.”
Cass nodded.
“Yes.”
That was a dangerous choice.
Everyone knew it.
Marvin didn’t just talk.
He calculated.
But he was also the one who had already started breaking things open.
And people like that?
They didn’t stop halfway.
They found him exactly where he always was.
Leaning against the far side of the school building, like the chaos around him didn’t belong to him.
Like he was just watching it unfold.
Marvin looked up when they approached.
And smiled.
Slow.
Knowing.
“I was wondering how long it would take,” he said.
Cass didn’t waste time.
“Adrian,” she said.
The smile dropped.
Not fully.
But enough.
That was the first real reaction anyone had given that name.
Marvin pushed himself off the wall slowly.
“Who told you that?” he asked.
Cass didn’t blink.
“You did,” she said. “By not saying it.”
A pause.
Then Marvin let out a quiet breath.
“Yeah,” he muttered. “That sounds like me.”
Lena whispered, “This is already going great.”
Cass stepped closer.
“Was he there that night?”
Marvin didn’t answer immediately.
He looked at Jace.
Then back at Cass.
And something in his expression shifted.
Less amused.
More… careful.
“Yes,” he said.
Cass’s heart kicked harder.
“What did he do?”
Marvin’s jaw tightened slightly.
“He didn’t stop it.”
Silence.
That wasn’t the answer she expected.
Jace frowned.
“What does that mean?”
Marvin looked at him.
“It means your dad and her dad weren’t the only ones in that room,” he said. “And not everyone was trying to fix it.”
Cass’s stomach dropped.
“So he let it happen?”
Marvin’s eyes moved back to her.
“No,” he said quietly.
“He made sure it couldn’t be undone.”
That landed hard.
Lena went still.
Jace’s expression darkened.
Cass’s voice dropped.
“…Why?”
Marvin shook his head once.
“Because whatever your dad was trying to walk away from,” he said, “Adrian wasn’t going to let it disappear with him.”
Cass felt it click.
Not fully.
But enough.
This wasn’t random.
This wasn’t just anger or an accident.
There was something bigger tied to her dad’s decision.
Cass took another step closer.
“Where is he?”
Marvin hesitated.
That hesitation was everything.
“You know,” Cass said.
Marvin looked at her.
And for the first time—
he didn’t look in control.
“He left,” Marvin said. “Right after.”
“That’s not an answer.”
“It’s the only one I have,” he snapped slightly.
Then quieter—
“No one’s seen him since.”
Cass studied him.
Closely.
“You’re lying,” she said.
Marvin stilled.
Lena whispered, “Oh wow, we’re doing this.”
Cass didn’t look away.
“You know where he is,” she said again. “Or at least where he went.”
Marvin held her gaze.
Long.
Tense.
Then he exhaled.
And gave in just a little.
“…There was one place,” he admitted.
Cass’s chest tightened.
“Where?”
Marvin looked between them.
Then back at her.
“If you go there,” he said quietly, “you’re not just asking questions anymore.”
Cass didn’t hesitate.
“Good.”
Marvin shook his head slightly.
“You’re not ready for what he knows.”
Cass’s voice dropped.
“I’ve been living with what I didn’t know my whole life.”
A pause.
Then—
“I’ll take my chances.”
Marvin stared at her for a long moment.
Then finally said it.
“There’s an old house,” he said. “Outside town. Near the lake road.”
Jace went still.
Lena frowned. “That abandoned place?”
Marvin nodded once.
“He used it before,” he said. “If he ever came back… that’s where he’d go.”
Silence settled between them.
Heavy.
Real.
Cass didn’t say anything else.
She just turned.
Already moving.
Jace followed immediately.
Lena hesitated for half a second—
then ran after them.
“Yeah no,” she muttered. “We are not splitting up for horror movie decisions.”
Behind them, Marvin stayed where he was.
Watching.
Quiet now.
Because for the first time—
this wasn’t just something he started.
It was something he might not be able to control anymore.
And ahead—
the road to the lake waited.
Quiet.
Empty.
And holding the one person who could finally tell the truth.