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)
I flipped to the last page:
Draco, you are seventy-one today, and your heart is weakening. You know today will be your last. But as you look around, you are in your favorite brown chair, surrounded by your children and grandchildren. Zarda still looks at you with the same love and admiration as she did from the first day she met you. When you close your eyes for the last time, you will know you are dying a fulfilled man who has lived a meaningful life. A perfect life.
Now come to me, Draco. Come find me in the afterlife, where you will be greeted with open arms.
Your mother,
Jeni
The book had my future too.
My heart pounded with fear and anger, both amplified by my confusion. Whatever this was, whoever was keeping me in this basement was sick in the head. I needed to get out of here.
I tried the door handle.
It was unlocked. The question was, could I crawl my way to freedom without getting caught?
CHAPTER FOUR
Piper
Leo paced back and forth across the kitchen; his brows knitted together as he mumbled incoherently. We’d been through an incredible amount of stress since buying the house six months ago, but this was by far the biggest speedbump.
Don’t panic. We’ve gotten through everything else. I took a deep breath and let it out before taking a seat at our refurbished farm table with pale green legs and matching chairs. It went perfectly with the new white granite counters and sage green cupboards. To us, the kitchen was the heart of any home, so we’d remodeled it first, splurging on top-of-the-line appliances.
When we were halfway through the kitchen, we discovered the home inspector had missed a major issue: termites and water damage from a leaking pipe inside a wall. We’d had to tent the place and call in a mold remediation company, who removed over one ton of plaster from the walls in the basement and first floor. It all had to be sheetrocked. So expensive. Now the home was safe and livable, but not exactly aesthetically pleasing because our money’d run out.
Now this.
“I’m sure you’ll find a new job,” I said, keeping my voice peppy despite my mortification. “And with my salary, we can keep things afloat.” Maybe. We’d definitely have to put off more work on the house.
“I knew this was a mistake.” Leo shook his head at the floor. “This fucking house cost me my job.”
That wasn’t true. Leo had been spreading himself too thin between late nights at the office, entertaining clients, and this. I’d told him a million times to slow down. If it took five years to finish this project, so be it. But he’d insisted on sticking to our original timeline. I think he was just eager to start his own business and be his own boss.
I couldn’t blame him. He worked incredibly hard and deserved to be making money off his sweat and tears. But what Leo had in ambition, he lacked in patience.
I walked over to him, taking his rough hand in mine. “Leo, it’s okay. I’ll find someone to rent our guest room.” It had a working bathroom and beautiful crown moldings. Very charming. “That’ll give us a little extra cash, and I can pick up a few more classes next semester. You can find a temp gig while you put out your résumé.” I squeezed his hand. “It’ll all work out. You’ll see.”
His jaw muscles pulsed away beneath his golden-brown stubble, and his brow was all sweaty. He looked like he hadn’t slept last night, with huge bags under his eyes.
I think he’s about to have a meltdown. Honestly, though, what did he expect? It was only a matter of time before something had to give. I just couldn’t understand why he wouldn’t listen to me and slow down.
“This is a fucking disaster,” he grumbled.
“We’ve survived shittier things, and we’ll survive this.” For example, his parents had died a few years ago, right after we met. First his mother went from cancer and then his dad from a stroke. Poor Leo. It had been a hard time for him and put our relationship to the test right out of the gate. It was how I knew we could handle anything together. Even death.
Thankfully, my parents were still alive, both living in Nebraska with my older brother, who was married with four kids. I didn’t see them much, but I doubted they had time to miss me. With my brother and his wife running their own Greek restaurant and raising four small children, everyone was busy from sunup to sundown.
“I need to clear my head.” Leo blew out a breath and ran a hand through his shaggy hair. “I’m going to hit the gym.”
A lie. He was probably going to hit the pub down the street. Of course, I didn’t mind. Getting fired in front of your biggest client in the middle of a meeting was a crap deal. But apparently the client, some big shopping center developer, had become unhinged over a delay getting permits issued. The city wanted changes to the plans because of a new earthquake-proofing ordinance. It had been completely out of Leo’s control, but he took the fall anyway.