Hidden Truths

By Rose Shaver

When twenty-one-year-old college student Cassie Starns ends a relationship that left her questioning her ability to connect with others, she finds unexpected comfort in Colin Rudd, her brother's charismatic best friend. What begins as a casual encounter quickly evolves into something more intense-and more dangerous than Cassie realizes.
Told through alternating perspectives, Hidden Truths follows Cassie as she navigates the aftermath of her breakup with Jerry while becoming increasingly entangled with Colin, a man whose devotion crosses the line from romantic into obsessive. As Colin's attention escalates from thoughtful gestures to invasive surveillance, Cassie begins to suspect that his interest in her is part of a disturbing pattern.
When anonymous gifts and cryptic messages lead Cassie to research Colin's past, she discovers connections to Maggie Knight, a young woman who mysteriously disappeared the previous year-only to surface alive in another state, living under an assumed identity after fleeing what she described as psychological terrorism from an ex-boyfriend.
As Cassie pieces together the truth about Colin's history of manipulation and control, she finds herself caught in an increasingly dangerous game of psychological warfare. Colin uses his charm and calculating intelligence to turn her own family against her, positioning himself as a concerned friend while painting Cassie as unstable and delusional.
With her credibility under attack and her support system crumbling, Cassie must find the strength to expose Colin's true nature before she becomes his next victim. But Colin has learned from past mistakes, and this time he's prepared to use every tool at his disposal-including the legal system itself-to maintain control.
Hidden Truths explores the insidious nature of psychological manipulation, the challenge of proving emotional abuse, and the courage required to stand up to someone who weaponizes charm and institutional bias. It's a story about recognizing the difference between love and possession, and the power of survivors to reclaim their narratives and protect others from predatory behavior.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: B0FPDBW77D
• ISBN13: 9798263173579
• Release Date: September 2025
• Publisher: Independently Published
• Length: 156 Pages
• Weight: 0.48 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.3" x 6.0" x 9.0"