Her Last Breath

Excerpt

Fleur

Saturday, early evening

The sun is only starting to set as I turn down the road in the cute little suburban neighborhood. The houses are adorable, as to be expected. And they’re all at least five times as big as the New York condo I left behind.

Good riddance.

Tears sting my eyes, but I ignore them. I’m not sad about walking away. I’m better off, and glad to have him across the country from me. No chance of accidentally running into him now. He wouldn’t know what to do here in Washington state where I grew up.

I can’t believe I’m back. It wasn’t supposed to be this way. But here I am.

At least I’m on the other end of town from where my family lived.

From where she disappeared.

I shove that thought away as quickly as it came. A lump forms in my throat anyway.

Why did I return? There’s too much heartache in this place.

That was why I fled as soon as I graduated. Not that it stopped bad things from happening here. The only times I’ve returned was to attend the funerals.

Maybe I should’ve moved somewhere else. Somewhere new. But I left so fast, and all I could think about was getting away from Ian and his unending supply of lies. If I had a dollar for every grand promise he’d failed to follow through on, I could buy an entire high rise apartment building.

Instead, I’m left with a minivan filled with every one of my earthly belongings. I bought it for the road trip home because it’s big enough to hold all of my things and the mechanic said it would be reliable enough to get me from the east coast to the west coast.

And here I am, in one piece with all of my things. Everything Ian and I bought together is still with him. He wouldn’t let me take even one thing we purchased together.

Typical.

Like I said, good riddance. I only wish I’d seen through his charm sooner.

Can’t change the past—only the future. And mine is bright. If thirty really is the new twenty, then I’m golden. I have plenty of time to find someone who actually wants to settle down and have a family. Somebody who won’t spew lies just because he thinks that’s what I want to hear.

Ugh. I’m starting over, and here I am thinking about Ian. What’s wrong with me?

New life, new start, new house.

The navigation system pulls me from my thoughts to let me know I’ve arrived at my destination.

I look left. My new house, bought sight unseen.

Clinging to the steering wheel with a death grip, I flip on my blinker then turn into the driveway.

The house looks like it’s been sitting there for two years—because it has. Moss grows in parts of the roof, the grass is easily up to my knees, and the exterior could use a good scrubbing.

Fun.

But it’s mine. I can use all the money I saved on the purchase to get everything fixed and still have plenty to spare for fun. Between my recent inheritance and my job—which easily traveled across the country with me—I won’t have money worries for a long time.

That was one of the reasons I let Mia, my childhood best friend, talk me into buying this house. How could I turn down a fully furnished house at half the market value?

I couldn’t.

Thankfully, I’m not superstitious like most other people—as evidenced by how long this adorable house has been for sale with the price sliding steadily over the last year.

I’m not most people.

No way would I let a little tainted history get in the way of my dreams.

Otherwise, I’d have been too scared to move into a murder house.