Page 66 of The House Guest

By Sunday, Janelle’s brothers had just about transported all of my belongings into a truck and carted them off. Thank God for her and her family; they were all I had at this point.

I’d texted Benjamin to let him know I’d be stopping to say goodbye to him and Patsy, if they wanted to meet me in the guest house. Dorian had left multiple messages asking if he could help in any way, and I’d ignored them all.

The guest house door opened before I had a chance to knock. Patsy and Benjamin had apparently seen me coming. I could only imagine the pity they felt. Patsy must’ve been thinking, I told you so.

Benjamin held out his arms, and I fell into his embrace. Patsy then hugged me from behind. The three of us had become a team in those weeks after Remington and Christina died. It made me so sad to leave them.

When they let me go, I asked, “Have either of you spoken to him?”

“I won’t be speaking to him.” Patsy grimaced. “I have nothing good to say to Dorian after he hurt you.”

“He came by to see me last night,” Benjamin said.

I looked down at the floor and let him continue.

“He seemed very distraught. I’m not happy about the fact that he misled you. But I do care about his well-being. I can’t help that, since I’ve known him for so long. It was very sad to see him in that state. Hurting you has definitely had a profound effect on him. But I’m happy he didn’t waste any more of your time.”

“That’s for damn sure,” Patsy muttered.

“Does Janelle have room for all of your things?” Benjamin asked. “You’re welcome to keep some items here.”

“Thankfully they do seem to have the space. Her dad is letting me keep most of my stuff in his garage until I can find a place. I’ll be crashing with them for now.”

Benjamin nodded. “If you need anything at all, please let me know.”

“Thank you.”

I didn’t have the heart to tell them I never planned to set foot anywhere near this mansion again. But I could always meet them somewhere. I promised to keep in touch with them, so long as they never mentioned Dorian. I didn’t want to know if he eventually met someone. I didn’t want to know anything. Before I left, they agreed.

As I drove off of the property that day, with Janelle’s brother in his truck behind me, I felt a heaviness in my chest at the finality of it all.

And soon after moving in with Janelle’s family, I realized it would take more than leaving the mansion to heal me. Being here in Orion Coast, so close to Dorian, with the threat of running into him at any given moment, was too much to handle. I’d lost focus at school and was only wasting money as my ability to create art became stifled in the wake of my broken heart.

After finishing the semester, I made the difficult decision to move back to Cincinnati. I’d drive my car to Ohio and pray it made it there in one piece. At least in Ohio I had some extended family. It made more sense to move back home than to start fresh in an entirely foreign place.

The day I drove out of Orion Coast for the final time, I decided to take a route past the mansion—one final goodbye from afar. I wouldn’t stop in, of course. Just drive by.

While I was thankful not to see Dorian as I passed, something else unexpected met my eyes: a for-sale sign.

PART TWO

Five Years Later

CHAPTER 18

Staring at myself in the mirror, I moved my gaze from head to toe. The fitted bodice was nice, but the tulle ballgown wasn’t my style.

“I’m not sure about this one.” I pouted.

Lucy moved her finger in a circular motion. “Turn around.” When I did, she added, “The back is gorgeous.”

Holding out the sides of the skirt, I grimaced. “I think it’s a bit…much.”

“Let’s face it. You’re gonna be a beautiful bride no matter what you’re wearing, but if you have any doubt, it’s not the one. Simple as that.”

I looked over at the smiling store attendant. “This isn’t the one. I think it looked better on the rack than it does on me.” I shrugged. “Sorry.”

“No need to apologize,” she said. “Helping you find the perfect dress is what I’m here for. Any idea which direction you want to go?”