Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 67432 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67432 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 337(@200wpm)___ 270(@250wpm)___ 225(@300wpm)
Wendy knew the gig was up. She collapsed to the ground, her head in her hands as sobs racked her body. She kept saying she was sorry and that it was all Lito’s idea, but no one paid any attention, her pleas falling on deaf ears. My grandmother looked like she was ready to strangle Wendy herself. It was Luna who convinced her to leave the room, sensing that the anger in my grandmother’s eyes was seconds away from erupting.
Jen came over to my side, so I was flanked by two of the people I cared about the most in this world. I controlled my emotions and stiffened my upper lip, holding Eric’s hand in mine as blue light from the police cars outside flooded through the arching windows. The veil of anger started to lift. “You okay?” Jen asked.
“I am. You?”
She nodded, her mascara having run down her cheeks in dark trails of black. She likely wasn’t planning on needing waterproof makeup tonight.
“I can’t believe she was responsible for Mom’s death.” Jen’s glare could slice through concrete. The police were let in by Archie, who stood aside as they went for his wife, still crying into her open hands. They were gentle with her as she tried to stand and collapsed back down onto the ground.
“We’ll read the will tomorrow,” my dad said, sounding bone-tired. He grabbed his suit from the back of the chair and walked toward the hall, the suit dragging on the ground from a loose grip.
“You know what’s sad?” Jackson spoke up as Wendy was being led out of the room, before she was out of earshot. He and Kendall were standing by the fireplace, the view of the French Alps behind them. “Wendy wasn’t even in the will. In fact, there’s a stipulation that she wasn’t to get any of the money if she and Archie were to divorce before Amelia’s death. Fuck, Archie wasn’t even getting any money. She didn’t want to tempt his gambling addiction, so she left his for charity, leaving him items that were more sentimental in value than actually valuable.”
Kendall chuckled before clapping her hands and calling out into the room, “I knew it. She’s laughing up at us from hell.”
Eric looked at me, confused. “Hell?”
“Kendall thinks everyone’s going to hell. Hopefully she’s wrong about that.” I reached for Eric’s hand, resting my head against his chest again, taking in a deep breath. His oaky scent helped calm some of the stormy seas of anxiety that roiled around in my chest. This night was a living fucking nightmare, but at least it was a nightmare that appeared to be ending. It would take some time to fully process the bombshells that were dropped on us tonight, but at the very least, I was grateful to finally have some answers. My mom could rest in peace, and the people responsible for her death could be punished. That’s all I really wanted.
And it was thanks to the man currently at my side, the only person capable of making me smile in the midst of all this chaos. I looked into his warm brown eyes and felt at home, at peace. It was all worth it.
“Come on,” I said, tugging Eric’s hand. “Let’s go to bed and watch silly TikToks until we fall asleep.”
“Yes, please. I’ve got some new Terri Joe videos I wanted to show you anyway.”
I chuckled, exhaustion slipping in past the waning adrenaline. “Good. I need to laugh before I start crying again.”
“Sooo… you two aren’t fake boyfriends?” Jen asked, finger wagging between the two of us.
“No,” we both answered in unison. My sister seemed relieved. I looped an arm around Eric’s waist and dropped my head on his shoulder. “We’re as real as it gets,” I said. “Now, let me call the American police so Lito can spend the night in jail while we spend it cuddling together.”
30
ERIC RUIZ
I fingered my fourth Jell-O shot of the night, separating it from the plastic cup and sucking it right into my mouth. The book club cheered, Tristan standing up from Colton’s cloud sofa and grabbing the empty tray so that he could refill it. Steven asked for a blue one, while Noah leaned into Jake with his eyes slightly crossed. “Guys, I think Colton’s game is easily the most drunk I’ve ever gotten,” he said, shutting his eyes and rubbing the bridge of his nose.
“I warned you,” Colton said, grinning as he sat cross-legged on the gray chair, flanked by Yvette and Tia. His oversized T-shirt was from an Imagine Dragons concert I’d gone to. I didn’t mind at all that he wore my clothes; in fact, I liked it. I was finding that the longer I spent with Colton, the more I realized that the man could do absolutely no wrong.