Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73191 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 366(@200wpm)___ 293(@250wpm)___ 244(@300wpm)
“People I love die. Do you really want that to happen to you?” I say as the rain splatters the windshield, the sky an unrelenting gray. The clouds hang heavy and low, mirroring my somber mood. Each drop of rain seems to carry the weight of sorrow, turning the world outside into a blurred, dreary canvas.
“I would gladly take any death if it meant I got to have you.” I gasp at that. And just as I turn to face him, my cell rings. Looking at it, I see my father’s name.
“He called yesterday. I spoke to him,” he says, surprising me. “He’s waiting for you with your sister.”
“You let them into your house? You hate people at your house,” I say, surprised.
“Not if it involves you.”
He ends the conversation as we pull up to the house. I see my father, dressed in a suit, and my sister standing next to him. When I get out of the car, my father walks up to me and pulls me into a hug. I accept it, but I feel my heart break again.
“I always have room for you. Come home,” he says. I nod into his chest, and when I pull away, I see Savannah has my bag in her hand.
“I packed everything for you. Go heal. Remember, you have a family now that loves you,” she says with a sad smile.
I glance around to see Milo walking into the house. The door shuts behind him, and my heart breaks a little at the sound of the lock snicking into position.
Chapter 46
Milo
“How can she not see how perfect she is.”
Icouldn’t stand there and watch her leave—I can only take so much. And that I cannot take because I want to walk out there, throw her over my shoulder, bring her into the house, and tell her how perfect she is, that this too shall pass and get easier with time. Even though everything hurts now, the hurt will lessen, and she will find a way to cope with it.
“Milo.” She unlocked the front door because she has access. I put my hand on the back of the couch and squeeze it. “I’m leaving,” she says.
“I know.” I don’t turn around to face her.
“Why won’t you look at me?” She sounds broken. “Is it because of h-him?” Her voice cracks.
“He is not the problem… my fucking emotions are. And how I wish I met you sooner, made you love me before you loved him.”
She wipes at her face. “I do love you, Milo,” she says. “That scares me more than I want to admit.” Sucking in a breath, she continues, “But I married him when I was deep in my emotions after my mother’s death. I never dealt with those feelings, and he took hold of them and manipulated me. I want to love you. But I want to leave as well.”
“Leave,” I tell her. She wipes at her face again. “Leave, and don’t ever come back, Elizabeth, because if you do—”
“Goodbye, Milo. Thank you for showing me that love doesn’t have to be under duress.” I look down and hear her heels click as she walks out.
And I’m pretty sure she takes a massive part of me with her.
Chapter 47
Lissie
“It’s a new me.”
If you had asked me a year ago if I thought I would be living back in this town, I would have laughed at you and told you how crazy that idea was and that I would never do something like that. Yet, here I am, in the very same house I tried so hard to escape from, feeling better than I ever did when I lived here before.
Cody was declared missing, and since my name was never taken off the deed, the house is also mine.
While I was living with my family, I paid contractors to strip the house down to its bones and breathe new life into it. Every wall, every corner was changed, leaving no trace of him behind. The memories that once lingered in the old rooms were swept away with the debris, replaced by the scent of new beginnings.
A soft knock sounds on the door, stirring me from my thoughts. I rise and make my way to the door, expecting my food delivery. But when I open it, I’m met with a familiar face—Milo. I don’t invite him in. Instead, I stand there and lock my eyes on him. “If you plan to live here, I can’t not see you. I gave you a week to cool off, and it’s all you’re getting,” Milo says as he pushes past me.
I’ve been back a week and haven’t seen him anywhere. I watch, my hand still on the doorknob, as he takes everything in. It’s not much right now, but it is mine.
I open my mouth to speak, but nothing comes out. I knew I would have to see him at some point, but I didn’t expect it to be this soon.