She nestled her head back against my chest, and we sat in silence, watching the sun set over the lavender field.
We finally stood to go. Before we made it to Liza’s car, she turned and took one last look at the home Castro had attempted to recreate.
“Goodbye,” she whispered to her past.
32
LIZA
Two Months Later
“Tell me again why you haven’t gone to the bank to claim your millions?” Sabrina eyed my car as I pulled into work. “If I were you, I’d be driving a brand-new car and wearing a diamond necklace when I walked to the mailbox.”
I laughed. “I bet you would.”
“I’m serious, Liza. You do realize that with that kind of money, you don’t have to work another day in your damn life, right?”
I waved her off with a smile. “I have no use for it right now because I already have everything I could possibly need.”
“All right, then you can slip me a few million since you’re just letting it go to waste.” Sabrina flipped her hair behind her back and strutted into the venue.
I wouldn’t know what to do with that kind of money, so I had decided to just leave it alone. I wasn’t being penalized for not withdrawing it, and the amount continued to earn interest without me lifting a finger. I knew it was there for rainy days orif, God forbid, my business tanked, and I ended up jobless. But I didn’t think that would happen.
Sabrina said I didn’t need to work, which was true. What she didn’t realize, though, was that I enjoyed my job. I’d built my company from the ground up, and I took pride in the service we provided to the people of Presley Acres.
My business was more to me than a paycheck.
Before putting on my apron, I looked at my calendar app. My heart became heavy. I’d been trying to avoid the upcoming date, but it was impossible to ignore.
I glanced out the window at the sky. It was gray with a thick cloud cover. Snow would be coming soon.
A few days later, Ty stopped by my place with a bouquet of flowers, coffee, and a box of pastries for breakfast. I wasn’t as angry at him anymore. After much contemplation and soul searching, I understood his reasoning for keeping everything from me, and I had somewhat forgiven him.
Ty had worked hard to regain my trust. He put me first, sometimes even before his work engagements. He was there whenever I needed him, providing a steady shoulder to lean on whenever the weight of my grief consumed me.
Even his parents tried to make amends, going out of their way to invite me to family functions, having real heart-to-heart conversations with me and apologizing profusely for their sins against my family.
I still had a lot of healing to do, which was why I decided to take the next step. Over breakfast, I turned to face Ty. “Will you go with me to see my parents?”
Ty’s eyes widened when he realized I wasn’t talking about my adoptive parents. “Of course, baby.” He kissed me softly on the cheek. “I’d be glad to.”
After we cleaned up the breakfast dishes, we bundled up and took the long drive to where my parents were buried.
Ty knew I was anxious about seeing my parents’ graves, especially on the anniversary of their deaths. So, he was quiet on the drive, letting me choose whether or not we’d chat on the way. It was about a ninety-minute drive, and we sat quietly, listening to soft jazz music as we drove through the countryside.
I tried my best to prepare my heart and my mind for the sight of their names written across the cold, hard headstones, but no amount of preparation could have helped. I immediately fell to my knees, weeping over their graves. The names were fake—another attempt Dominic had made to try and cover up the existence of Heather Falls.
I wanted to be mad and to scream at Ty and let all my frustration out on him. I wanted to beat my fists into his chest and scream, ask him why life had to be so cruel.
But I couldn’t. I didn’t
I was too exhausted from all the anger.
Ty stayed back while I sat and placed my hands over their graves. “Momma, Daddy, I’m here. I found you.” My tears fell onto the perfectly manicured grass that covered their burial sites. “I remember now. I remember everything. I was your princess, your baby girl. You would’ve moved Heaven and Earth to keep me safe, and I’m so sorry you had to die not knowing if I was safe.”
I pulled my knees to my chest and buried my head in my hands, remembering the look on my mother’s face as she lay on the ground, bleeding to death, pleading with me to run and save myself.
“I survived, and not only did I live, I’ve had a wonderful life not far from Heather Falls. I run my own catering business, and I’m happy. You need to know that I’m happy. But I miss you so much.”
