CHAPTER ONE
THE EARTH SWALLOWS
Pulling my rolling bag behind me, I catch the toe of my shoe on a crack in the asphalt. Rage burns through my chest as I sniffle and try to hail a car.
My phone pings with yet another text from Jonathan, no doubt begging me to come back andwork things out. But after finding him with his secretary’s cunt in his mouth while he sat behind his desk like he owned London and could do as he pleased at noon on random Thursday, I’m through.
“Alright, miss?” the doorman asks, studying me.
“I’m fine. I just need a car. I have to get out of here.”
“I’m afraid you won’t find one right now. Weather’s too nasty.”
Rain pelts the ground, the chill of a London spring curling around me as the wind blows.
“I could call for a car, miss. Come in out of the weather, and I’ll have you out of here in a jiff.”
“No. I can’t stay here. I’ll just… I’ll walk.”
“In this? Madam, you won’t make it far. Come on, I’ll put on some tea for ya.”
Anxiety has my heart beating wildly. Jonathan’s upstairs, most likely making his way down here as we speak.
While I’m no sucker, he knows I have nowhere to go. He’ll use that fact to get me to come home.
My family can barely take care of themselves, let alone take me back at thirty.
“No. I can’t,” I whisper, allowing my anxious nature to overtake my good sense as I bolt, tugging my bag behind me as rain pours over me in droves.
Making it down to Dulwich Wood takes me hours, and there I find shelter. Though the rain has slackened off a bit now.
Even so, I find an old ruin and perch against it. There, I let my tears fall.
I also check my eighty-five missed calls and texts from Jonathan before tossing my phone across the floor.
Thinking better of it as the patter of rain picks up again, I sniffle and crawl over to it.
Fuck Jonathan, and fuck this predicament I got myself into.
Hand on my phone, I freeze as the earth shifts beneath me.
“What the?—?”
Scrambling backward, I squeal when the ground continues to roar at me as if I’ve disturbed its peace by bringing my problems into its midst.
My phone vibrates, forgotten in my hand. I grip the ruins behind me with the other, trying to steady my heart.
I close my eyes, praying to a god I don’t know if I believe in any longer until the shaking stops.
Sighing, I open my eyes when the woods go silent around me.
Odd.
A handful of feet before me, a hole has opened up.
Cocking my head, I eye it questioningly before pocketing my phone and standing to inspect it.
Dark is clawing its way through the woods, making it hard to see just how deep the hole is.
