“I have a steady job now. I just need a little time.”
My throat tightened.
“I have a daughter. Her father just died. Please, have mercy.”
The landlord sighed.
“You have one month to move out. After that, I’m changing the locks.”
The call ended.
I pressed the phone against my chest and tried to steady my breathing.
After everything I had survived, Emily and I were about to lose our home.
Then a floorboard creaked behind me.
I turned.
No one was there.
I assumed I had imagined it and went back to work.
A few weeks later, I arrived at Richard’s estate and stopped in the entrance hall.
Fresh flowers filled tall vases. Candles flickered across the room, and soft music drifted through the house.
Richard normally warned me before inviting guests because those days required more preparation.
This time, he hadn’t mentioned anything.
I found him in his study wearing a dark suit.
For once, he looked nervous.
“Are you expecting guests?”
“There you are,” he said. “Please, Nora. Sit down.”
“Not exactly.”
I sat, confused.
