جميع فصول : الفصل -الفصل 10

Eric Whitmore stood the last suitcase up by the front door."Evelyn," he said, "it's the same deal as last year."I stopped wiping the coffee table.And just stared at him.I looked at his mom, Candace, and his dad, Harold, hovering behind him.I looked at his sister, Brittany, and her husband, Derek.And their kid, Mason, clutching his parents' hands.The whole squad. All six of them.They were heading to Aspen.For the third year in a row.For the Christmas break."Flights are insane right now, and honestly, you'd just be bored anyway," Eric said, the words rolling off his tongue like a well-rehearsed script."Besides, someone's gotta watch the place," Candace chimed in, not even bothering to look at me while she dug through her purse."Yeah, Evelyn, we'll be back before you know it!" Brittany added with that fake-ass innocent smile.Same lines for three years.Not a single word changed.Year one, I cried my eyes out.Year two, I screamed my head off.But this year?I just smiled."F

I stayed in that hotel for three days.That was all the time I needed to snag a new apartment.It's a fully furnished one-bedroom, totally move-in ready.And it's only two blocks from my office.I took a chunk of that house deposit and paid for a whole year's lease upfront.Rachel helped me move in.Honestly, there wasn't much to pack.Just one suitcase.And a cool quarter-million sitting in my bank account."Well, look at you, Ms. Moneybags!" Rachel joked."It's a start," I said."Once the rest of the cash clears, I'm looking for a condo downtown.""I want a place that's 100% mine.""And I am never letting another soul move in."Rachel looked at me, her voice softening. "Evelyn, you've really changed.""Yeah?""You used to be all about 'keeping the peace' and making sure the family was happy."I let out a bitter laugh. "Yeah, well, I used to be a total idiot.""I thought if I just kept taking the high road, everything would eventually work out.""Turns out, I backed up so far I almost

Eric's flight home was scheduled to touch down at ten the next morning.Between baggage claim and rush hour traffic, it'd take them at least an hour to get back to the house.Which meant they'd be rolling up to the driveway just before noon.I was up at seven, same as always.Made myself a quick breakfast.Then I got dressed and headed straight to the office.It was Christmas Day, so the office was officially closed.But I'd already cleared it with my director to put in some overtime.I needed some peace and quiet to get my head straight.And honestly? I needed the perfect alibi.I sat there in the middle of a ghost-town office and fired up my laptop.I started grinding through the backlog of work I'd ignored for the past few days.The minutes ticked by.9:00 AM.10:00 AM.11:00 AM.My phone was dead silent.Surprisingly quiet, actually.Maybe their flight was delayed.Or maybe they were just too busy wrestling with their luggage to check in with me.I didn't let my mind wander.I just

Eric's POVEric stood frozen on the asphalt driveway, his knuckles white as he gripped his phone.The wind was brutal.It cut through him like a knife, making his face sting.He stared at those few lines over and over, hoping they'd magically change."The house isn't rented.""It's sold."He didn't buy it.There was no way in hell.How did Evelyn even have the guts?This was Evelyn—his quiet, obedient little doormat of a wife who barely raised her voice. How could she pull something like this?!She'd lost it.She had to be completely out of her mind."Eric! Well?! What did that bitch have to say for herself?!"Candace lunged forward and snatched the phone right out of his hand.The second she saw the text, the color drained from her face until she looked like a ghost.Then, a wave of pure, blotchy rage turned her neck a deep purple."S-Sold...?"Her voice went high and screeching, like nails on a chalkboard."She sold our house?!""Mom! Shut up and keep your voice down!" Eric hissed, g

Two days after Christmas, and the holiday high was officially over.I headed into the office like it was any other Tuesday.The place was pretty dead, which gave me exactly the kind of quiet I needed.I needed the silence to map out my next moves.I knew Eric wouldn't just take the "L" and move on.After my dad shut him down, his only move left was to show up at my job and cause a scene.I'd already given the front desk and security a massive heads-up.I gave them his description and a clear order: I don't care what he says or who he claims to be, he does not get past the lobby. Call me the second he shows his face.At 10 AM, my desk phone buzzed. It was the front desk."Evelyn, there's a Mr. Whitmore down here. He's claiming to be your husband.""Copy that," I said, my voice dead level. "Handle it like we discussed.""You got it."I didn't go down.I didn't even bother looking out the window.I just pulled up the building's security feed on my second monitor and zoomed in on the lobby