Page 101 of Nemesis
A few days after my conversation with Noah, I’d finally called my mother back, apologizing for missing her calls. She’d started asking about Sofia, but I’d just kept brushing off her questions. I could sense she’d wanted to push, but diving into that conversation would only add fuel to the fire.
Turning the ignition off, I walked out of my car and up the driveway, glancing up at the property I’d built. I’d bought the place a few years prior and spent months remodeling it until it was perfect.
Until it was exactly how I rememberedshewanted it.
All these years, I’d found solace in living in something that reminded me of her, but now it was just pure torture.
I unlocked the door and walked inside, meeting a deafening silence. I desperately needed to get out of this place, just for a little while.
The next morning, I was on the road, driving to the only place that helped me heal in the past.
Despite the trust I had in her being tarnished, my love for her was still there. I hoped that after a stay at the cabin, I’d finally get her back.
CHAPTER38
SOFIA
Forty-eight hours after I’d killedmy husband, I’d showed up at the station hysterical, demanding they find him. They’d taken down my statement and after confirming my airtight alibi, they’d begun their search for him.
Less than twenty-four hours later, they’d found his body rotting at the docks. The ME had released Victor’s body quite quickly after the police closed their investigation.
No one really had questioned what happened that night. They’d seen the dried bloodied hole decorating Morales’s forehead and simply connected the dots, blaming rivalry for his murder.
After his funeral last week, I’d arranged his affairs, dismissing his staff with enough money to last them until they got back on their feet. Selling the house had been a bit more complicated since it had been tied to his company, but his partners eventually declared bankruptcy once they’d found out that he’d been dealing in some shady business all these years, running their accounts dry.
It’d been exactly two weeks since I last saw Theo. Just two weeks and it felt like years already, every minute apart chipping away at my sore heart.
Ever since I’d woken up to an empty bed the next morning, I’d been reeling with how to approach Theo. I was still trying to figure out how to explain everything.
How I could begin to fix whatIhad broken when I wasn’t even sure if I still had all the pieces to mend it in the first place?
Truthfully, I’d been cowering away in the house because I was afraid of his rejection. It wasn’t like I could blame him, not after I left and lied to him repeatedly.
But I wanted him. I just didn't know how to win him back.
It was still early in the morning when I slid the glass doors in the kitchen open. Cold wrapped around me, a shiver running across my body as I made my way across the yard.
I pushed the door of the pool house open and stepped inside, his distinctive scent hitting me, invading my senses.
The hollowness that had formed in my chest that morning when I’d woken up alone resurfaced. The dull ache I’d tried pushing away was growing and expanding over me.
I glanced around his former space, the remnants of his presence still lingering in the air. I walked over to his bed, lowering myself to the mattress, and grasped at the sheets that still faintly smelled like him.
It felt like soon enough, his presence would completely vanish, and I didn’t know if that was for the best. I clung to the sheets harder, a tear escaping, tracing a burning path down as I closed my eyes.
I’d given him space because if there was any chance of anus, I needed to know that when Theo looked at me, he would seemeand not the years of lies I’d put us through.
I’d wanted to give him more space, but I was done doing that. I didn’t want to wait any longer. I wanted the opportunity to apologize, tell him how sorry I was for everything.
I left the pool house and pulled my robe tighter against my chest as I jogged across the lawn, quickly closing the patio door behind me to avoid any more of the frigid air following me inside.
I swiped my keys off the counter and climbed into my car.
After a quick search for his address, I’d driven by his place, but the driveway had been empty. After waiting outside for an hour with no sign of movement inside, I came straight here. I’d memorized the address after we came here a few weeks ago and decided to give it a try.
The thought of being here without him weighed against my chest, but I pushed it aside, knocking on the wooden door. I stood there, on his family’s doorstep, hoping they knew where he was.
“Olivia?” she greeted me, surprise etching her features.
