When nothing goes right, turn left

Lies in the Aftermath

Veronica followed Clark out of the school building, the weight of his words dragging against her chest. Alex lingered behind them, but she refused to acknowledge him—not after what had just happened between them.

"You found something?" she asked, keeping her voice steady.

Clark nodded, jaw tight. "Yeah. And it's bad."

Bella was already waiting near the parking lot, arms crossed, eyes dark with worry.

"You guys need to see this."

She pulled out her phone, hesitated, then turned the screen toward them.

It was a photograph.

A "grainy", poorly lit photo of Smith—the same Smith whose name had haunted them for weeks. But he wasn't alone.

Standing beside him, barely distinguishable in the shadows, was "Hilary".

Veronica's breath hitched.

"Tell me this is fake."

Bella's face was pale. "I wish I could."

Clark ran a hand through his hair, tension rolling off him. "Why would your mom be with him? What *was* their connection?"

Veronica tried to breathe. She couldn't. The walls of her world—the ones she had been desperately trying to rebuild—shattered in an instant.

"We need answers," Alex murmured, stepping closer.

Veronica turned sharply, glare cutting through him. "This is my problem."

Alex didn't flinch. "No, it's ours."

She hated that she couldn't argue.

Because deep down, she knew he was right.

Veronica's mind raced as she stared at the photo of her mother with Smith. It didn't make sense. It couldn't make sense.

"Where did you get this?" she asked, voice barely steady.

Bella shifted uneasily. "It was sent to me. An anonymous number."

Veronica's breath hitched. Anonymous. Just like the texts she'd received.

"There's more," Clark said carefully.

Bella hesitated before swiping to the next image.

Veronica's stomach twisted.

This wasn't just a photo of Hilary and Smith—it was a picture of Hilary exchanging something with him.

A folder. Thick, important-looking.

"What the hell is this?" Veronica whispered.

Clark's voice was low. "Whatever that document was, it mattered. And someone wants us to know it existed."

But before anyone could speculate further, Bella's phone vibrated in her hands.

A "new message."

Her face paled as she read it.

"That's not the only thing she's hiding."

Veronica's pulse hammered.

There was more.

And they were about to find out just how deep this conspiracy went.