All Chapters of He Changed the Locks, I Changed Him: Chapter 1 - Chapter 7

Elma's POVI had only taken a few steps before I was pulled into a familiar embrace. "I've calmed down now. The front desk has given you the new key, right?" I turned to look into Beck Callahan's eyes. There wasn't the slightest crack in his composure. "Yeah.""That's good to hear. I just got it replaced, so I brought it straight to you." All of a sudden, I wanted to laugh out loud. This was clearly the second key. Every single day I had spent locked out of our home, Iria Sinclair could unlock that door effortlessly. Without uttering a word, I walked toward the passenger seat out of habit. I still had to make a trip back; after all, some of my belongings were still there. The moment I pulled open the car door, I froze. Iria greeted me with a smile. Beck froze for a moment. "I forgot to tell you to sit in the back seat. Iria just finished working overtime, and since it was raining, I picked her up on the way." I smiled slightly. "You two sure are close now.""Iria's you

When I pulled open the door to the motel room, the musty air rushed straight into my nostrils. For 50 dollars a night, the room was cramped and suffocating. Its walls and furnishings were tinged a dirty, faded yellow. I pulled out a few pieces of clothing from my suitcase, spread them over the bed, and spent the night curled up in a ball.…As soon as day broke the next morning, I took the remaining cash in my wallet and rode three different buses to get to the city hospital. Little did I know, I'd run into two familiar figures there. "I drove Elma away last night, so we can finally head to Gastonie this afternoon like you've been wanting to." Beck affectionately pinched Iria's cheek. "You're such a handful. Last time, you wanted to go to Verdagne. Before that, you wanted to go to Eisnerland. Then there's Zephyria, Oceana..." He counted them off on his fingers, rattling off one place after another. In the end, he sighed. "Every time, I have to find a way to drive Elma off. It's

Elma's POVAs soon as I arrived in Florenza, I went to my little apartment. It was a bright, cross-ventilated one-bedroom layout with an open-concept kitchen. I hadn't had much of a budget when I renovated it, so I had simply given the walls a quick coat of white paint. It was bare-bones, but that made the place feel surprisingly spacious. I unpacked my belongings and slowly filled up the room. Gradually, I began to feel at ease.In the past, because I had to frequently stay in hotels, I stopped leaving my belongings all over the place just to make it easier to keep everything tidy. Yet now, I could place them wherever I wanted. I could even grow flowers without worrying that I wouldn't be able to get back home to water them. I bought a few paintings and several rugs, decorating the place according to my own vision. Once I had done all of that, the last trace of disbelief in my heart finally disappeared. …On my third day in Florenza, I started sending out my resume. Befor

I stared at Iria in disbelief, as if I had never truly known her. However, she cackled. "I only became your best friend to get to Beck, Elma. I knew him way before you did. I was only seven when I met him. "My stepfather had beaten me half to death, and Beck was the one who kicked down the door to my house and saved me. One of his arms was in a sling at the time, but he still stood in front of me and tried his best to pull me out. I lived right at the mouth of his alley."He has probably forgotten who I am by now, but I never forgot him. I worked my way into his life, only to find out that he already had you. So, I had no choice but to get close to you first and then steal him away from you!" Iria jabbed her finger in my face. "I thought I had succeeded. He gave me so much of his affection and attention, so why did he look for you like a madman the moment you left?" As soon as her words fell, she lunged at me. Something glinted in the light. "Elma!" Hugo threw himself in fro