Total pages in book: 196
Estimated words: 180438 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 902(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 601(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 180438 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 902(@200wpm)___ 722(@250wpm)___ 601(@300wpm)
I expected some backlash for the way in which Ryder and I had gone about things, and there was some of that, but surprisingly, amidst the wildest of the stories going around, there was one that seemed too close to a mix of truth and fable not to have come from someone in the know.
According to this byline, whatever sorcery Janie and her power-hungry father had worked against Ryder and I had backfired spectacularly, and karma had bit them in the ass. This was the story that most people seemed to run with, and it only gained more traction when news of Mr. Andrews’ arrest spread like wildfire.
Conjecture ran rampant, and everyone had something to say, including the crew on the set, who all seemed to be in a celebratory mood throughout the rest of the day. I dreaded what things would be like when it was time to leave, and that feeling only intensified when I got a heads-up that I should check my phone an hour before it was time to call it quits.
***
*Janie
My father’s in jail, and I haven’t the first clue who to call. I was afraid to call Mom because of the threat from the little bitch so instead of focusing on what I couldn’t change, I kept my mind on the here and now. I got the feeling that if I didn’t take control of the situation now rather than later, I would have a hard time coming back from all this.
There’s no way in hell that I’m about to let this person run all over me, no matter who was pulling her strings. She couldn’t have changed that much, even though she was putting on ears in front of me. No doubt she was just like everyone else who thought I was down and out, but I’m not about to give up just because I’ve had a bad week.
Things may look dire now, but once I get my head on straight, I’m sure I can turn this thing around. I’d convinced the world that I was the love of Ryder’s life for five whole damn years on a pack of lies, after all. Had snatched him right out from under that bitch’s nose with the whole world watching and, for a time, had made him believe that she was the worst thing to ever happen to him.
That fear that was never too far from me these days threatened to sideline me again, but I pushed it back down and away. True, I’d like nothing better than to run back upstairs, jump into bed, and pull the covers over my ears, but I have to keep going, putting one foot in front of the other.
There was no one here to give me direction, no one to stand between me and what was going on. Mary was gone, and so was Scott, and no one had heard from Matt in damn near forever. Dad was never much help, now that I think about it, not since my wedding day when all he did was beg and threaten.
Mom had gone into hiding it looked like since that hack she’d hired had spilled her guts all over social media, so even if I could contact her, there was no way for me to. So this is it, just me on my own for the first time since I can remember, and I don’t know where to start.
The slamming of the refrigerator door brought me back to the present, and I watched this annoyance walk around the kitchen I’d grown up in as if she were queen of the roost. Something about her attitude just burned me up inside; it was like she was just adding insult to injury by being in my face now after all this time.
“What’re you doing here anyway? Why you, of all people?”“I told you, I live here now. You saw the contract; why do you keep asking?”“Because this makes no sense, why would she give you, of all people, my house?”
“That’s not important; what matters is that it’s no longer your house, and the owner has given me this place, so there’s nothing you can do about it.”
“What owner? That kid?”“Kid? Are you high right now? I bet you are. Kids don’t own houses, you nut.”
“So, who’s the owner then?” Maybe she didn’t know as much as she thought she did after all because the piece of paper she waved in my face before had that kid’s name on it. Or maybe I’m getting things mixed up in my head again. That reminds me, it’s been hours since I’ve had anything to take the edge off.
“I’m not sure; we never met. I got an email a few days ago with an offer that I thought was a joke when I saw that it was this place being offered, but then the contract came through to my lawyer, and well, here we are.”