The Burden of Betrayal

by Mae Roberts

The truth is out. And it’s so much worse than anyone imagined.

The Whispering Killer has finally been unmasked—it should have ended the nightmare, but the revelation plunges Hazel and Zack deeper into darkness. With the city spiraling into panic and the killer vanishing without a trace, the hunt becomes more dangerous than ever.

Zack should have been the key to stopping it all—instead, he wakes up with fractured memories. He doesn’t know who he can trust, or why everyone looks at him like he’s already broken. As fragments of his past claw their way back to the surface, one terrifying question remains: what if forgetting was the safest thing his mind could do?

Hazel refuses to let everything fall apart. But holding together her ragtag team of exhausted allies, uneasy friends, and barely-contained secrets may be impossible when every lead ends in betrayal, bloodshed, or another whispered message from the shadows.

As the body count rises and the truth behind the whispers comes to light, Hazel and her friends are forced toward a final confrontation that could destroy them all.

Because this time, the killer isn’t just hunting victims.

They’re hunting the ending.

Kindle Edition

Expected publication November 25, 2026

About the author

Mae Roberts is a queer author originally from the Midwest who spends 98% of her time reading, writing, or making friends on the internet. She’s currently hard at work on her second novel in the Whispering Series, alongside a handful of other fun and chaotic projects.

A lover of languages (she speaks five and counting), Mae thrives on learning new things, diving headfirst into her many hobbies and hyper fixations. Whether she’s obsessing over a new fictional world or exchanging book recs online, Mae is all about passion, connection, and storytelling that lingers.