“I can imagine,” Wade says. “That was quite the bombshell there.”
“You are not wrong,” I mutter.
“On the upside, it’s your mom who will have possession of the house. It’s not like it’s going to the state or some strange woman you’ve never met or anything. So unless she wants to sell the manor, chances are she’s not going to be kicking us out anytime soon,” Wade says, grinning sheepishly.
I blink back surprise. “I didn’t even think of that.”
“It was a lot to digest. But seeing as I just let my lease on the apartment lapse, I have to admit, I had a mini heart attack there for a sec,” Wade says, scrunching the left side of his face. “But at least you’d be safe. You could buy a hundred houses, if that’s what you wanted.”
The thought of being forced out hadn’t occurred to me, but it should have. Sure, we could find someplace new. However, with all that we’re facing, the last thing I would want to do is add moving into the mix.
I glance up at Abigail. The look of concern on her face makes my heart thump awkwardly in my chest. When my mom finds out she owns the manor, she wouldn’t sell it, would she? I mean, she knows Wade and I live here and had no intention of moving.
Then again, in her mind, it could be a possible way to get me back to Mistwood Point. She’s definitely got no love lost for this place.
My forehead furrows and my stomach is queasy all over again. I swallow hard, trying not to let the anxiety make me sick.
“So, what do you think is up with the box?” Wade asks, picking it up and turning it over in his hands. He eyes it from every angle, taking in the writing and carvings with a careful eye.
“I don’t know,” I say, turning again to Abigail.
“That box is a conundrum. It wreaks of power, though of what kind, I know not,” she says.
Wade shifts in his seat, setting the box back down. “Is Abigail here?”
I nod. “She doesn’t know anything, though.”
Wade’s face darkens as he stares at the decorative embellishments. “Hmmm. It reminds me of something, but I can’t put my finger on what.”
“I’ve never seen anything like it before,” I mutter.
“Well, your dad wouldn’t have given it to you if it wasn’t important. Did he mention anything about a box before…” Wade cuts his words off, eyeing me like I’m a bomb about to explode.
I scrunch my face. “No. I wish he did, though.”
“I guess it’s up to us to figure out the mystery of it, then,” he says, placing a hand on my knee.
“Yeah.”
“I would take extreme caution with that box if I were you,” Abigail says, rubbing at the back of her hand. “However, the young man is quite right. There is more to that box than simply pretty carvings.”
We sit in silence for a few minutes, each of us lost in our own tangled thoughts.
“I can’t believe my mom would lie to me,” I say, breaking the stillness.
Wade looks up, turning to face me with weary eyes. “Did she ever tell you outright that they were divorced?”
I search my memories, and for the life of me, I can’t think of a single instance. She always said stuff like, ‘since they separated,’ or ‘when your dad and I were together.’ But I can’t think of a definitive time when she said they’d divorced. It was just sorta implied.
I shake my head. “Now that you mention it, I don’t know, actually. Everything is all muddled. It’s like I can’t even trust my own memories. Besides, there’s that whole section of my past, particularly when they broke up, that’s still blacked out from when I drowned.”
Wade’s eyebrows tug in. “Weird.”
“Your mother has many secrets I suspect you know not of,” Abigail says, locking eyes with me, then casting her gaze to the floor. “This is but one of a long line.”
I bolt upright out of the couch. “What do you mean?”
“What’s going on?” Wade asks, suddenly at my side.
I hold up a hand to have him wait.
Abigail straightens her stance and her lips press tight. “It is best she be the one to untangle her deceit.”
“What kind of answer is that?” I sputter.
“What’s she saying?” Wade whispers in my ear.
I turn to him, my heart beating wildly. “She’s saying my mom’s been lying about a lot, but she won’t tell me what she means.”
Casting my gaze back to Abigail, she’s now vanished. Clearly not wanting to be grilled for more information.
Sighing, I walk to the window.
There are so many unanswered questions and the stakes are already high.
“What are you thinking about?” Wade asks, wrapping his arms around me.
“So many things,” I say, staring into the snow-covered trees.
“We’ll get this all figured out. Remember, just take it a day at a time. That’s really the best you can do,” he says.
“I don’t know what I was expecting from today”—my eyes widen as I turn to face him—“but this definitely wasn’t it.”
“What? You didn’t expect to become a multi-millionaire?” he chuckles, brushing my cheek with the back of his hand.
I shrink back. “Ugh, I haven’t even processed that bit of info yet.”
“Yeah, you know things are messed up when that’s the bit of news that falls most to the wayside,” he says, rubbing the back of his neck.
“Right?” I nod.
“So, what do you want to do? Call your mom? Demand some answers?” Wade asks, his silver eyes taking in every movement I make.
“No, there’s no point in calling. Even if I did ask her, there’s no telling what she’ll say. She might keep trying to lie.” I bite down on my lip, a plan formulating in my mind. “Without being able to see her facial expressions or body language, I’d have to take her at face value.”
“All right. So, what then? Wait until the
