Joy was restless and shared a bed with Leanne, tossing and turning like a pancake on a hot griddle.
Leanne's hard-won drowsiness vanished with Joy's gymnastics, leading her to suggest, "If you can't sleep, why not go outside and count how many stars are in the sky?"
Joy was speechless and flipped over, propping herself up on an elbow to ask, "Is there nothing we can do about Hanley? It just doesn't sit right with me, letting him get away with everything." Leanne paused, "We can't find him. Even if we did, without proof, we can't touch him."
Knowing who was responsible yet feeling powerless was the most disheartening part for her.
"But seeing both of you suffer like this breaks my heart," Joy said, pounding the mattress in frustration. "Why should he get to ruin your parents' lives and leave you and Curtis to pick up the pieces?" Leanne didn't have an answer.
Luck never seemed to be on her side. She never seemed to get what she wanted, and any love she found always slipped through her fingers.
No, that wasn't entirely true.
Someone had once promised never to stop loving her.
A certain strength began to grow in Leanne and she felt a sense of peace returning.
The autumn that year felt unusually short, the drop in temperature happening in the blink of an eye, as if overnight, the first snow had already fallen. Leanne had planned lunch at the new trendy diner in town with Amy and Donna. The food was so-so, but the place was bustling with energy.
Donna brought her two kids along, who were lively and well-mannered.
After lunch, Donna had to take the kids to their extracurricular class, leaving Leanne to watch them drive off.
The diner was close to Northwood. On a whim, Leanne decided to visit the mansion in Northwood.
The yard was covered in a thick layer of snow, like a pristine white carpet, too perfect to disturb.
Her boots crunched in the snow as she bundled up in her thick coat, whimsically starting to roll snowballs and build a snowman.
Forgetting her gloves, her hands quickly turned red from the cold. She breathed on her fingers for warmth before placing a newly rolled snowball atop another. She picked a small branch for the nose and wandered the yard looking for stones for the eyes.
In the quiet and empty yard, the sudden sound of a watch's chime was startlingly clear.
Leanne stopped in her tracks, glancing at her wrist where her star-patterned watch was signaling the presence of another person within five meters.
It was then that she heard a familiar and clear voice.
"Would these work?"
She looked up and turned around.
Snowflakes fell softly around her as a tall figure emerged from the mansion.
Curtis was dressed casually in a sweater and lounge pants under his black coat. His jaw was shadowed with stubble, looking a bit disheveled yet charming. Despite the snow-covered ground showing no footprints, he must have been there before the snow began.
Curtis held out his hand, revealing two stones.
They seemed to be picked at random, perhaps from a decorative piece, black with the shimmer of sapphire under the light, quite beautiful.
"No grapes at home, so these will have to do."
Leanne's gaze landed on his hand, particularly on the silver band on his ring finger that he never took off.
She tucked her left hand deeper into her sleeve and reached out with her right for the stones.
As her icy fingers brushed Curtis' palm, he closed his hand, warmly enveloping hers, much like the snow outside.
If you find any errors (non-standard content, ads redirect, broken links, etc..), Please let us know so we can fix it as soon as possible.
Report