Page 179 - TruthAboutLyingFinal

Nicholas Boothman
We’ve been talking for months. Someone had to keep track of you while you were ending the world.
Henry felt something crack inside him. Even in his isolation, even as he’d burned every bridge, the people he’d hurt had been watching. Caring. Trying to understand.
Tell her I’m sorry. Tell her she was right about everything.
Tell her yourself. She’s here.
A new message thread appeared. Rachel’s name at the top.
Henry. Claire showed me your Tiered Truth System. It’s not crazy. But Vincent’s right. You can’t mandate it. You have to model it. Show people it works by living it yourself. Start with the truth you’ve been avoiding: you’re terrified you’ll never be more than the sum of your lies.
Henry stared at the screen, his vision blurring.
How do I do that?
You already did. You just told me the truth. Now keep going.
He realized his new isolation was complete. The ultimate goal, saving humanity from the catastrophic honesty he unleashed, required him to be the most hated, most distrusted man in the world. He was the Scapegoat, and he had to work alone.
But maybe, just maybe, he didn’t have to be completely alone.
The final stages of the collapse, and the desperate bid to save the world by lying, were his to face.
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