Chapter Nine

I called in sick the next morning, and thankfully my department head, Sara, was completely understanding since she'd been going through a messy divorce. Still, they needed me back as soon as possible to cover for other professors in my department. Violent protests had broken out on campus this weekend over all the crap going on in the world, and now half the faculty were threatening to resign. They felt it was too dangerous to go to work.

I didn't know about dangerous—since the campus had security up the wazoo—but all that hate and yelling didn't make for the best learning environment. Whatever happened to peaceful protests?

"It's just today. Two days max," I said. "I need to clear my head a little so I'm not bringing my baggage to class."

"If it were up to me, I'd let you have a month, but I need you. We had to cancel half our classes today because of professor no-shows. Who knows what'll happen next?" She sighed with frustration. "It's like everyone's gone crazy."

I felt terrible calling in sick at a time like this, but I couldn't face anyone today. My life had just blown up. "Thanks, Sara. I appreciate it."

I ended the call and went to the kitchen to make coffee and start my day. I wanted to sulk and cry in bed all day, but sorting out my life felt like a bigger priority. I needed a plan. Maybe not down to the line items on a to-do list, but at least something general.

Would I keep this house? No. Couldn't afford it.

Where would I live? Conni had a room, but that would be temporary. So then the question came down to what I wanted.

It had been years since I only had to think about myself and not "us." I'd loved Leo so completely that there'd been no doubt in my mind we'd grow old together. Planning for an alternate future hadn't even crossed my mind.

Did that make me an idiot?

Well, yeah. In hindsight, it did. But I grew up in a family where you trusted those you loved: your siblings, parents, aunts, uncles, and close friends. Now I had nieces and nephews, too. Not once had I ever questioned whether they deserved my love, and what I'd do if they stabbed me in the back. Why would I? If you loved someone, they were family. If they were family, you had their back. They had yours. Simple.

Now I was beginning to see that Conni had been right about me. I was too na?ve when it came to judging one's character. And just because I held someone in my heart, it didn't mean they wouldn't throw my heart in the trash. It was sad how some people didn't understand what an incredible gift unconditional love was. When another human being was willing to walk on broken glass for you, it wasn't the sort of thing to take for granted. Yet Leo had.

Maybe he's just a bad person. I combed my hands through my hair and whooshed out a breath. I hurt so bad, and it was only made worse by knowing I'd have to tell my friends and family that the wedding was off; my perfect life was a joke.

"Piper, stop it." I chugged down my coffee and placed the mug in the sink. Maybe I did need to mourn, but in all honesty, the pain wasn't going anywhere. It could wait. I had a job. I had ten thousand cash. I have a house with a nine-hundred-thousand-dollar mortgage.

"I'm screwed." No one would want to buy this wreck for what we'd paid. Forget getting my money back from renovations.

My mind drifted to last night's dream. Draco had come into my room and offered cash for this house.

Wait.Had it been a dream? It almost felt real.

I looked around me at the mess I lived in. "Definitely a dream."

It was time to pack up Leo's stuff, so I marched down to the basement to grab some of the big plastic totes we used when we moved in.

I tugged on the cord and turned on the string of bulbs that barely illuminated the dark, dank space.

We'd done a lot of structural work down here, so it wasn't as dirty as before, but I still hated it. It smelled like decaying plaster, mold, and dark secrets.

I picked up the first stack of totes and set them down near the wooden staircase while grumbling in my head, Like hell I'm letting him inside. Stupid, selfish, lying… I would pack up his belongings and set them on the back porch. He could pick it all up while I was at work.

I went back for the second stack and was about to go up when I noticed a loose board under one of the steps. I gave it a push with the toe of my tennis shoe to set it back in place, but the old wood crumbled into small pieces.

"Great. One more thing to fix." I was about to turn away when something shiny caught my eye. I grabbed my cell from the back pocket of my jeans and turned on the flashlight app, shining the light at the object. Beneath a coating of cobwebs and dust was what appeared to be a small gold cup.

I reached in and grabbed it, cringing from the gunk. I hated spiders, which was hilarious because I loved old houses. They sort of went hand in hand.

I wiped the outside of the cup on my jeans and held it up to the lightbulb. The thing had a short stem and tiny glyphs all the way around. Someone had hidden it in this house, which meant there was a story here.

I loved a good story like I loved history. I loved a good mystery, too. Figuring out where this came from would be a nice treat to brighten my dismal day.

I set it inside the stack of totes and went upstairs to begin the task of breaking down my life so I could build it back up.

But, as I told myself I'd get through this, something dark pushed against my thoughts. If I had to describe it, I'd call it doom, almost like a part of me knew that Leo's leaving was just the beginning of something bigger.

But what?