AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I won’t come back—it’s better for all of us if you two just forget me completely. I’ll find my place out West.
Don’t worry, I won’t go back to Portland.
Don’t try to find me, try to fall in love again, with someone that fits with your family.
All the love I could never express,
Evelyn
“Brad, I’m sorry, something’s just come up, but I’ll call you back.”
I heard his grumbling about my lack of priorities, but I couldn’t care. I was out of my office in a heartbeat, pounding up the stairs to Hannah’s floor. I went to Evelyn’s floor first, but the room was empty. The bedsheets had been stripped, her books were piled in a corner, and her housekeeping dress neatly folded on top of them. I turned, unsure of what to do next. Victoria appeared, and I rounded on her, unconsciously sounding aggressive. Her eyes were wide.
“Have you seen Evelyn?” I asked.
“No, sir,” she replied respectfully, “if you’d like, I can go find her.”
“No, no, she’sgone.”
Victoria blanched. I’d forgotten that the two of them had struck up some kind of friendship.
“Where?” she asked quietly.
“I don’t know,” I groaned. “I need to find her.”
Victoria looked uneasy, and I latched onto the expression.
“What is it?” I asked, almost growled.
“Nothing,” Victoria said, but I knew she was hiding something.
“Victoria,” I said in a threatening voice, and she got even whiter.
“Miss Hannah and Evelyn had a fight!” she squeaked.
“Thank you,” I said.
I strode over to what was the only occupied bedroom on the landing, and rapped my knuckles on Hannah’s door. I heard an annoyed voice float out.
“Go away, Evelyn.”
“Open the damn door, Hannah,” I growled.
My daughter opened her door, and I was immediately pissed. She had a pout on her face and was looking distinctly petty.
“What the fuck did you say to Evelyn?” I asked.
“None of your business,” she returned, and tried to shut the door.
I stuck my foot in the door and walked into her room.
“What. Did. You. Say. To. Evelyn.”
My face was clearly furious, because Hannah rolled her eyes and clicked her tongue. I had to hold myself back, because I had never expected this kind of behavior from my daughter.
“I just told her that our situations are really different, and that maybe she didn’t understandmine.”
“Ofcourseshe doesn’t understand your position, Hannah! Yeah, when we lost Mom, things changed! They changed a lot! Do you know what happened to Evelyn when her mother died?”
