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EVELYN'S POV

I wished I was dead.

Maybe that was a little too much but, it wasn't too far off. I wish my life was different. I wish I had my mom and my dad, and everything was how it used to be.

But it can't be. That life is gone.

Most days, I wonder how people could be so happy. They seemed to have everything: perfect lives, perfect families, perfect loves. For me, nothing was perfect. My life was nothing but a series of unfortunate events.

It was like the moon goddess herself had cursed me. Some days, I believed she had. As if she’d looked down from her silver throne in the sky and decided to take whatever joy I had left, one piece at a time.

What was even worse was that I thought I deserved it. Maybe it was some twisted kind of repayment for everything that had happened over the years. I had no one to blame except myself.

“We're almost there, ma'am,” I heard the taxi driver say.

He snapped me back to reality and I caught him staring at me through the rearview mirror. I looked away. I didn't want his pity, he didn't even know my story and yet, he looked like he was finding me pitiful.

I stared out at the streets of Manhattan and tried to imagine the city like I was a newcomer. That was what everyone had told me: that I should make my life worth something now. They wanted me to start over, far away from my past. 

But how do you start fresh when your past clings to you like a second skin? I did what everyone expected me not to do— I returned back to where everything happened.

I closed my eyes as the memories came back. This all happened because I came for summer break here in Manhattan five years ago. Every single misfortune started from there.

That's how I met him too…

I opened my eyes quickly as the driver pulled the car to a stop in front of a small bungalow. The paint on the house was peeling, one of the windows was boarded up with wood while most of the other ones were unwashed. It looked like it was from another era.

I stared at the house for a long while.

“Are you sure this is the right address?” The driver asked.

I looked at the address on the sheet of paper in my hand and then at the house. “Yup, it's the house,” I replied, getting out of the taxi. I pulled my small luggage out of the trunk and paid the driver.

He looked at the house one more time and shook his head. “You deserve better than this,” he said, before driving off.

“Mind your business,” I snapped as I watched him go.

I turned to look at the house again. This was my grandparents house. They were long dead and the house had been long abandoned. It was the only thing I had left of my family. After my parents died…

I shook my head. I shouldn't go there.

But this was it. This was my new life, my new home. And in this place, no one will remember the girl who was visiting and was arrested five years ago. I never thought I’d find myself back here, but it was the only place that still felt like it might welcome me.

I approached the door and turned the rusted doorknob. It didn't work until I pushed. The door finally swung open with a creak. I was greeted by dust and the smell of neglect. Cobwebs stretched across everywhere. I coughed, waving a hand in front of my face.

"We're home now, Wolfie," I muttered aloud, speaking to the part of me that had been caged for far too long.

I stepped inside, pushing aside the cobwebs that tried to cling to my face. I dragged my bag along the floor. The house was worse than I had expected. I knew it would be old and abandoned but I didn't think it was this bad.  

Five years ago, it had been so much better. But now, there was mold crawling up the walls, paint was peeling and the ceiling was sagging in places.

I found an old wooden chair and sat down with a sigh. I didn't have much time before sunset. I needed to make this place a little more livable, enough for tonight. I glanced around and saw an old broom in the corner. It wasn't much, but it would do.

Cleaning had become second nature to me. I had spent years scrubbing floors, wiping down surfaces, doing whatever I could to pass the time.

A chill ran down my spine as I thought of that time. Five years felt like a lifetime. I had been locked up for something I didn’t do. The thought alone made my blood boil. Someone had been murdered and while I was with my parents, they dragged me into their investigation.

They insisted that I had a hand in it. And my boyfriend—the man who swore he loved me—left without a word, not even a letter. It was like he had vanished the moment I needed him most. And then, my parents died in an accident shortly after and there was no one to help me.

I pushed the thought away and focused on the room. I swept the floor as best as I could. The main cleaning was for tomorrow. Tonight, I needed rest. I cleaned up the room I would sleep in and laid a bedspread over the old mattress.

After that, I checked if the water was still running. Surprisingly, it was. I took a cold bath and after that, I walked to the door to lock it. But, I felt something strange. The hairs on my arms stood on end, and goosebumps crawled over my skin.

Someone was watching me. 

My instincts screamed at me to run but I forced myself to walk forward. I heard a sound but I thought it was just the wind playing tricks on me. But then I heard faint footsteps.

I took a deep breath and stepped out. “Who's there?” I called, trying to sound brave. No one answered.

That was when I saw the letter on the floor. It wasn't here when I came in. No one knew I was here so who could have dropped it?

Hesitating, I picked it up. There was a piece of paper under it. As I unfolded it, I read the words that caused my blood to freeze.

YOUR PARENTS DIDN'T DIE IN AN ACCIDENT.