Chapter 26

I shut the door behind me and twisted the lock, not because I felt unsafe, but because I could. The townhouse was quiet—clean, open, echoing with the kind of silence that made you realize just how much noise you'd gotten used to living with. No footsteps above me, no slammed doors, no forced politeness at the dinner table. Just me.

I took a deep breath. The townhouse smelled like lemon cleaner and fresh paint—sharp, clean, unfamiliar, but not a single other person’s scent. It was… more of a relief than I realized it would be as I leaned back against the front door, keys still dangling in my hand. The neighborhood was too affluent to be noisy, but not so removed from transit that it would be hard to get around.

I kicked off my shoes. The sound of them hitting the polished hardwood echoed.

It seemed like everything echoed, honestly.

Boxes lined the hallway, stacked where the movers had left them. There was a stack of suitcases sat by the stairs. My life, condensed like this seemed so much smaller than I expected. An uncomfortable feeling churned through me.

Had my things been packed with care in my past life, thrifted, sold, or whatever? Had everything I owned personally just been repurposed, given to Vivian so she could gloat to herself whenever she wanted? I turned my thoughts away from that, imagining the red dress I’d worn to the Confirmation Ceremony taken in several sizes to fit her frame.

I made a note to find a reason to wear that dress as much as possible.

I sighed, shaking my head and looking at the boxes. I should start unpacking. I should at least moved the ones labeled “essentials” into the bedroom. But the moment the door clicked shut, my energy disappeared like air let out of a balloon.

I set my bag on the table in the entryway and looked around. The remodeling was tasteful. Neutral tones, modern finishes. It didn’t feel like home yet, but it didn’t feel like Philip or his pack, either. And that was already a step forward.

I wandered into the kitchen, opened a cabinet, and closed it again. No reason. Just to hear the soft thud of something familiar. I pulled out the notepad that had been left in the drawer and a pen, leaning against the island.

License. Car. Insurance. Groceries.

I circled "license" twice.

The semester would start soon, and I was not about to be stuck hauling groceries around on a bus, and the thought of having to wait the bus stop with my phone in one hand and pepper spray in the other. I didn’t care if it was a beater car, something bought in cash would do—I'd drive myself to class, to work, to get milk at midnight if I wanted to. Freedom. Four wheels of it.

Looking back, letting Philip stop me from getting a license, focusing on all the other things that I wanted to do had limited me more than I had realized. I went back to grab the budget Dominic had drafted for me, scanning the numbers.

Ten minutes in, I was no less irritated than I had been before.

Dominic had insisted on a cushion, and fine, I’d allowed it, but the number was ridiculous. I didn’t need this much. As I said, I wasn’t Vivian, flitting between boutiques and weekend retreats, buying dresses with price tags that could feed a pack for a week, spending just because she could. I was just trying to live and stay sane. It wasn’t what my mother had raised me to be, and I wouldn’t know how to live like that anyway, given that Philip had made it clear that the bare minimum that wouldn’t make him look bad was enough.

He didn’t neglect my needs, but every luxury he’d bought with my mother’s money for me served his purposes. A dress for this, a set of jewelry for this event, and whatever.

I made notes about where to cut, what to do with it. Then, I chuckled, wondering how quickly Vivian and Tyler had spent through my inheritance in my past life. A year? Two? Tyler didn’t exactly have cheap tastes either.

Still, even without my adjustments, the loan would be covered before it had even started to accrue interest, even if I had to make manual payments. That alone made my chest loosen a little.

I set the notepa down and looked around the space, drawn to the living room full of sleek lines, neutral tones, and big windows that poured in light. My mother had good taste. She always had. I could still picture her here, even if she never got the chance to see the renovations she’d started years ago.

A lump rose in my throat, sudden and sharp. I wiped my face, shaking my head. It had been decades, more than half of my life since she died. Maybe it was all of the upheaval making me teary-eyed and exhausted. I sank onto the couch. The cushions were too firm since they were brand new like all the furniture in the townhouse, but they held me, and for now, that was enough. I curled up, arms wrapped around my legs, and let my head fall back against the couch.

My mind was still catching up. My heart started hammering. Everything had happened so fast.

Court.

Philip.

Dominic.

The estate.

The guardianship.

Dominic’s eyes flashed through my mind. Heat pooled in my stomach thinking of the way he had looked at me, like he was seeing someone he hadn’t expected. Like I’d become something sharper, harder. Maybe I had.

I wasn’t sure who I was anymore, but I smiled, relishing the chance to find out who this Renee, the dead sent back through time, would turn out to be.

I didn’t know how long I lay there—maybe twenty minutes, maybe two hours—staring at nothing or drifting off. The light in the townhouse shifted as the sun drifted, soft golden white of midday sliding through the blinds when I felt like I could move again, think again.

The first thing I thought of was Dominic.

Specifically, the feel of being alone in his office with him when we’d been too close, too aware of each other. I’d tried to play it cool, but now that I was alone, the memory played on a loop with added heat, like my brain had decided to direct its own version of what could’ve happened.

In the fantasy, he didn’t keep his distance, and neither did I. We’d been drawn together like two moths to a flame, drifting closer until our mouths collided—his hand warm on my back, slipping down over my ass, his mouth rough and deliberate. It was fiercer than the first kiss we shared. It was hunger. Intention. Promising. I imagined his jacket hitting the floor, his fingers tugging at the hem of my shirt, his voice low as he murmured my name like it meant something to him—

My phone rang.

I jumped, nearly tumbling off the couch, heart thudding like I’d been caught doing something I shouldn’t.

Hell, I suppose I was.

With a frustrated breath, I grabbed my phone and blinked at the screen, recognizing the number.

I hesitated, then answered. “Hello?”

“Is this Renee?”

“Yes.”

“This is the financial aid office. Did I catch you at a bad time?”

“No, of course not.” I sat up straighter, immediately alert. “What can I do for you?”

“I’m calling to let you know your tuition has been fully paid. We just need you to come in and finalize the cancellation of your student loan before the system processes the disbursement. Can you come in today or tomorrow?”

I blinked. “Wait—seriously? It went through?”

“Yes, the wire hit our account this morning. I’m terribly sorry about the confusion, but I’m glad it all worked out.”

I barely remembered the rest of the call. I thanked her, confirmed I’d come by this afternoon, and hung up with the kind of dazed relief that made my limbs feel like jelly.

He’d done it. Dominic had made sure it was taken care of.

The knot in my stomach unraveled, replaced by a soft warmth that spread through my chest. He’d kept his word. He didn’t owe me anything, not really, and yet he had. It wasn’t that I didn’t think that he wouldn’t it was just.

I sighed, scrubbing my face. After a lifetime of Philip only doing things he said he would when it most benefited him, and Tyler who had been barely dependable in our marriage, it was odd.

I stood up, heading toward the suitcases to grab fresh clothes. I manage to find some jeans and a decent shirt and thought better of it. Vivian had bought me that shirt, a baggy ill-fitting monstrosity that draped over me. She’s called it modest, and once I had agreed, but it was ugly.

I tossed it on the stairs and pulled out a nicer, better shirt that wrapped around my waist. I brushed my hair and grabbed my purse from the hall table.

Just as I reached for the doorknob, a sharp knock made me freeze.

I leaned forward to look through the peep hole and couldn’t believe my eyes.

Over dressed, with that saccharine smile that barely hid the poison in her, she stood there like she had every right to be there.

“What are you doing here Vivian?”