Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 156392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 782(@200wpm)___ 626(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 156392 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 782(@200wpm)___ 626(@250wpm)___ 521(@300wpm)
Me
I’m coming to pick up the rest of my things.
Sam already removed everything of yours and sent it to your parents.
Not everything. I’m missing a few things.
Noted.
Noted? Noted?
What the hell is wrong with this damn Tin Man? The realization that he might be done fighting for me sends nausea down my throat.
Still, after everyone leaves, I ask Papa’s driver to drop me off at what I used to call my home.
As the car rolls to a stop in front of the house, my lungs fill with melancholy, and I struggle to breathe. Memories I experienced in every nook of this house engulf me, and for some reason, they’re all happy ones.
They’re all about the precious feeling of being safe and protected. Treasured and adored.
As much as the first couple of years of marriage were filled with paranoia, the period after I woke up with amnesia was the happiest time of my life. Which is why the thought of losing it makes me tremble in dread.
My inhales turn deep and sharp when I find Sam and Leo waiting by the entrance. They both smile as I step out of the car.
I jump them both in a hug. “You guys! I missed you so much.”
“We saw you last week,” Sam says with her usual snobbishness, but she pats my arm affectionately.
“That's a week too long.” I grin as I pull away.
They both visited me regularly but often replied to my question of ‘How is everyone in the house?’ with vague answers that never included their precious boss.
“Happy Birthday.” Sam points behind her. “I made you a very pink crochet blanket for when you snuggle to watch your films.”
“I saved your ‘ugly plants,’ as the gardener calls them, from being axed,” Leo says.
“Aw, you guys are so sweet!”
“You mentioned a few things you wanted to pick up?” Sam asks with a hint of curiosity. “I don’t recall missing anything important.”
“Uh, you did,” I say distractedly, peeking behind them as if I might catch a glimpse of their boss.
“What?” Leo asks.
“Um…you know, those potted plants. I want to take them.”
“I see,” Sam says with a raised brow. “We can ship them to you.”
“Sounds good.”
“Perhaps you’d want to take a look at them first?” Leo says.
“Fantastic idea!”
Sam stays behind because she needs to tackle some chores while Leo accompanies me. I physically stop myself from asking whether or not Eli is in the house.
Don’t tell me he left once he heard I was coming over?
As soon as we’re inside the greenhouse, my lips fall open. The cross-bred plants I thought would be long dead by now have grown into these exquisite beds. Not only that, but they’ve multiplied to occupy the entirety of the greenhouse.
Their long leaves and colorful roses make the space look like a small paradise.
“Oh my God, Leo! Did you do this?”
“No.” He scratches the back of his head. “I only had to stop the gardener from axing them one time. In truth, Boss saved them and made this happen. When the gardener disagreed, he fired him and got another one who grew them into what they are right now.”
My chin trembles. Why does he keep doing this if he refuses to see me?
“Is he here?” I whisper.
“In his study.” Leo pauses, then hesitates. “Do you want to see him?”
“No. He didn’t come to greet me, knowing I’m here.”
He releases a heavy sigh.
“What?” I ask, playing with a petal.
“It’s just ridiculous at this point.”
“What’s ridiculous?”
“You came all the way here for mythical missing things, but you refuse to go to him, and he’s made men disappear from your surroundings since university instead of admitting he has feelings for you.”
“Eli’s had feelings for me since uni? Are you serious?”
“As a heart attack. He was confused about said feelings, so his solution of choice was eliminating any competition.”
“He was just being petty.”
“Were you also only petty when you sabotaged all of his possible relationships?”
“No,” I admit aloud. I truly didn’t like the sight of him with anyone else. Besides, he encouraged me by doing the same, so soon, we fell into that toxic pattern.
“Which is why he allowed it, even knowing full well you were behind all those abnormal actions.”
“H-he knew? How?”
“Landon.”
“That damn traitor!”
“He said he was being Cupid.”
“A grotesque one.”
“If you say so.” Leo shakes his head. “I’ll be outside if you need anything.”
After the door closes behind him, I stand there for what seems like forever, staring at the house through the glass.
For some reason, I can feel an invisible thread tugging me with relentless ferocity.
Perhaps I should see Eli one final time just to curse him and get this load off my chest.
You know what?
I storm toward the door.
How dare he ruin my birthday and my new beginning?
How dare he act so considerate if he’s going to hurt me—
My hand freezes on the handle when I open the door.