Total pages in book: 56
Estimated words: 52864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 264(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 52864 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 264(@200wpm)___ 211(@250wpm)___ 176(@300wpm)
Justice was another story.
He shook his head and walked out.
Motherfreaking, unbelievable son of a… It took a minute to realize he hadn’t left right away, so I went to see what he was doing. I spotted Leo outside, shoving two suitcases into his car.
That jerk. He’d packed this morning while I was at work. Meaning he’d been planning this breakup. He’d made up his mind without a single discussion. Yes, he’d already confessed as much, but seeing was believing.
This was happening.
I went to the cupboard, grabbed a bottle of pinot, and poured a glass. I’d been the supportive, loyal fiancée, and my reward was getting dumped. The dream I’d been working for was just that, a dream. A lie.
“Rough day?” said a deep voice as I lay in bed, sandwiched between two throw blankets. I’d stripped down the mattress so I wouldn’t have to smell Leo’s nasty odor. Then I’d been too tired to make the bed with fresh linens.
“You could say that.” I pulled my top blanket to my chin. “Why are you in here?”
“I became worried when I heard noises.”
“What noises?” I grumbled, keeping my eyes closed.
“Like someone being strangled.”
Was he serious or trying to be funny? Didn’t know. Didn’t care. Leo had walked out with zero warning, and then I drank a bottle of wine. So yeah, maybe I’d been bawling my eyes out just a tad. “Wasn’t me.”
“Whatever you say. I am merely glad you are not being murdered by a serial killer.”
“I should be so lucky,” I muttered.
He didn’t reply to my pity mumbles. “I wanted you to know that I might not be around for a day or two. I have to make a trip south.”
Good for you, I thought.
“Yes, it is good. Because the sooner I find what I’m looking for, the sooner I’ll know who you are to me.”
“I didn’t say anything. And what do you mean by that?”
“Never mind,” he said.
Instantly, my headache was back, and whatever I’d just been about to say was gone.
“By the way,” he added, “are you sure you don’t know anything more about this house besides what you already told me?”
“Other than it’s the bane of my existence? No.”
“Any items left behind by the previous owners?”
He’d already asked me that. I pulled the blanket over my head. “Try talking to the ghosts in the basement.”
“Ghosts?”
I lifted my head for a moment. “That was a joke. Could you please go now?” I might be a little drunk, but I knew it was a bad idea to have a stranger in my bedroom. Especially Draco. I still felt ashamed for ogling him earlier, even if Leo had been about to dump me. I wasn’t the disloyal type, and that moment had definitely danced on the line. Then there were the other strange moments with Draco, none of which I was equipped to deal with right now.
“For what it’s worth,” he said, “there are far worse things in this world than a breakup.”
I hadn’t told him this was about Leo, but he’d probably guessed.
“Gee. Thanks.” I’ll stay in my bed, wallowing, all the same. “Please leave my room,” I repeated.
“Of course. I will get out of your hair, and when I return, I can make other arrangements if that is what you wish.”
Did Draco really think I was worried about him right now? Without Leo, I couldn’t pay the mortgage, and that meant I’d lose everything—my savings and the money I’d invested out of pocket. Leo was an idiot to think we could find a buyer for this dump. We couldn’t even sell it for the land because of the home’s historical status. The only way to prevent a financial disaster was if Leo kept paying his share of the mortgage and came up with another few hundred grand to finish the renovations. Not going to happen.
I sighed. “At this point, it doesn’t matter. Stay as long as you want. Or until the bank forecloses.”
“There is no need to worry about that. I will buy the house.”
“What are you talking about?” I mumbled.
“Your choices are to have the bank take it from you, along with everything you have invested, or to let me buy it for cash. I do not plan to occupy the home, so you may remain here as long as you like.”
He knew I was in over my head with this house? He’d been doing more than researching me on the internet. He’d been diving into my finances. Who the hell was this guy?
Again, like he could read my thoughts, he said, “I know I must come across as direct. Maybe even intrusive. But as I mentioned, I have a connection with this house, and until I learn what it is, I do not wish it falling into anyone else’s hands.”
Oh, right. His dreams. The dreams he had after being held prisoner in Crete by a bunch of my long-lost relatives. I did not have the mental fortitude to deal with this crazy shit right now.