58

Veronica

Stefan shifted his gaze from my grandfather to me, but his eyes revealed nothing. My hand rested in his. His thumb drew circles in my palm.

The longer he took, the heavier the silence grew, the more tears welled in my eyes.

This was it.

Stefan and I were finished.

My grandfather cleared his throat and rose from his seat. "Five minutes, or the offer expires, and you can take your chances on the payout." He buttoned his jacket. "I'll be outside."

We didn't watch him go, and we didn't speak for an eternity after the door closed.

Stefan stood and went to one of the two windows. "I thought you were dead," he said, his back to me.

"What?" I started, swallowing the lump in my throat.

He faced me but remained where he was. "I have this nightmare—I've had it for six years now—where I keep seeing the fire at the house, keep running inside to save my mother, and keep finding her too late."

A weight heavy as a pile of bricks settled in the room with us.

"Well, it changed over the last fe