Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 75792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 379(@200wpm)___ 303(@250wpm)___ 253(@300wpm)
My eyes twitch as I narrow them. “What are you going to do? Punish me for doing your job?”
He steps closer and picks up the book from the floor.
“You should’ve protected her,” I say through gritted teeth while he continues to stare at the page that has his seal on it.
He grumbles and closes the book, then plops it back onto the table. “I know I failed.”
I frown. I was not expecting that.
When he turns around, I open my mouth. “What are you going to do? What about this house?”
He glances at me over his shoulder. “You’re the successor. So do whatever you want. It’s yours now.”
My lips are still parted, but I don’t know what to say as he walks away. “You’re not going to stop me?”
“It’s your right. This is what your father trained you to do.” He sighs and pauses for a moment. “And you are right. I failed in my duties. So I will leave and repent on my own terms. Alone.” He throws the keys to the basement down onto a cabinet in the corner. “I’ll tell my son that it’s time to take over for me. Maybe he’ll do better.”
Present
A long time ago, I thought no one would ever be able to surpass me, that no one could do justice as I could. Until it was my time to take over, and Tobias became my advisor. His sense of justice always managed to make me feel like I could never live up to the task. Like I wasn’t meant for this role.
He was. And I can’t help but admire him now that I’ve finally come to terms with that.
“That’s exactly why I must do this,” I say, making him take the book. “And you must accept this.”
“You can still fix this,” he says, placing a hand on my shoulder. “Bring them back. Bring her back.”
I would’ve expected nothing less from him, but it’s too late. I made my choice long ago.
“I can’t,” I respond.
“Why?” he asks, his voice full of despair.
Because he knows as well as I do how this will all end.
The answer should never be this simple, but it is. “Because I’ve fallen in love.”
He gazes at me, his eyes filled with surprise but also something else … empathy. And for a moment, it’s as though we bonded over this mutual feeling of hopelessness when it comes to our own desires.
“We must do what’s right,” I say with conviction. “Even if it goes against everything we’ve been taught.”
I stand in front of him with my head held high even though I am not proud of what I’ve done. Of all the things I’ve thrown at my precious angel … of all the problems I’ve caused to this house …
All of this will end with me.
Chapter 24
Amelia
Mary drove the car straight onto a ferry that had docked on the pier near the edge of the island, which took us across the water. She didn’t stop until we reached the city where I came from.
The city where it all started.
But something about this place feels sour to the bone now. It’s like it’s been stripped of all the joy it once had. Or maybe that’s just because I’ve forgotten how to love it.
She’s been silent the entire way, and I don’t even know where to start or what to ask. But I’ve been dying to know so many things, and I just pray she has the answers.
“How long will I be here for?” I ask, not even knowing for sure if I’m truly out of there.
She shrugs as she parks the car. “As long as you want. It’s your life.”
“But … what about the house? What about … Eli?” I can’t even get his name across my lips without feeling a pang in my stomach.
“It’s done,” she says. “You’ve completed your atonement, right?”
I stare at her in disbelief. “Yes, but Eli brought me back after.”
Her brows rise. “I don’t know why he made the decision … but what’s done is done.”
I frown, clutching the bag she gave me. “I’m confused. Did you decide to just help me escape?”
“No,” she says without even a hint of doubt. “You were supposed to leave.”
My lips part, but I don’t know how to respond as my mind goes entirely haywire.
Mary sighs. “Look, I don’t know what’s going on in Eli’s mind. I don’t know what you’ve done, but I know that he’s changed. That’s for sure.”
I’m stunned she would say that. “Why? What do you mean?”
She drapes her arms over the wheel with a sigh. “When I last spoke to him, he seemed distraught at the thought of losing you. And then he lets you go. It just doesn’t make sense to me.”
Eli let me go. He actually chose to let me walk?
All this time, I thought it was Mary’s choice. That she had decided she was going to help me escape and did it in a not-so-secretive way. But now that I think about it, we were so obvious. I even looked Eli straight in the eyes as we ran.