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Chapter Overview
Chapter 1: AudiobookHub Recommendation
Chapter 2: — The Rope in the Cedar
Chapter 3: — Vanessa’s Spell
Chapter 4: — The Aftermath Nobody Names
Chapter 5: — London, New Ruth, New Hunger
Chapter 6: — The Attic Opens
Chapter 7: — The Folly’s Secret
Chapter 8: — Sergio’s Confession
Chapter 9: — Fire in the Garden
Chapter 10: — A New Dawn
Description
Ruth Parker grows up invisible—bullied at school, criticized at home, and desperate to be seen. The only person who seems to truly notice her is Vanessa: her mother’s dazzling, theatrical childhood friend who drifts in and out of Ruth’s life like a perfume-soaked promise.
When Ruth is invited to be Vanessa’s only bridesmaid at a French château, she believes she’s finally chosen for something extraordinary. But a horrifying crisis turns the wedding into trauma—and the silence afterward leaves Ruth starving for meaning. Years later, Ruth arrives in London and is drawn back into Vanessa’s orbit, where gifts, glamour, and “love” offer a new identity… at a steep, hidden price.
As Ruth becomes entangled with Vanessa’s husband and the secrets sealed inside the attic at Wilton Place, the story reveals a dark chain of grooming, manipulation, and buried violence—forcing Ruth to decide what kind of life she will claim, and what legacy she will refuse.
Who Should Listen
- Listeners who love psychological thrillers about obsession, grooming, and identity manipulation.
- Fans of slow-burn dread with a high-stakes emotional payoff, where family secrets drive the climax.
- Readers who enjoy gothic-tinged modern suspense set across England and France, with a haunting “room as a symbol” mystery.