Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 75015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 375(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
At the peak of her career, investigative reporter Rose Howard is exhausted from trying to manage her seemingly perfect life. With her marriage to her one true love collapsing, she desperately needs to rest, regroup, and decide which way to go next. The direction becomes clear when she discovers that her former best friend, Eve Castillo, isn't responding to attempts to contact her at the North Carolina cottage where she's vacationing. Rose knows Eve can be flaky and irresponsible—that’s why they fell out. Still, Rose heads to the tranquil small town of Sage Hill . . .
Rose soon discovers that Eve has vanished without her purse and passport—even after booking a trip abroad. The personable cabin owners’ accounts of Eve's stay just don’t to add up . . . and most of the town's initially hospitable inhabitants becoming increasingly less helpful . . .
Rose's instincts tell her the solution lies somewhere in Eve's—and Sage Hill's—past. To get answers, she’ll have to ask inconvenient questions, rattle long-buried skeletons . . . and face vicious attempts on her life. But some truths are best left alone. And secrets Rose never saw coming could easily sink her and her future without a trace .
*************FULL BOOK START HERE*************
GORGEOUS TWO BEDROOM COTTAGE ON LAKE AQUILLA
Take a breather in this cozy cottage on Lake Aquilla! Located in the heart of Sage Hill and surrounded by so much nature, you’ll be left with no choice but to unwind, enjoy the views, and relax.
With just a short walk to the shore, you’ll love putting your feet in the cool waters and spotting the fish.
Wake up to wide-open windows that reveal rippling waters that go farther than the eye can see. Make a cup of coffee in our newly renovated kitchen and sit on the patio to watch the sun rise over splendid mountains.
Take a hike on our trails to open up your mind or use our speedboat for a quick ride across the lake.
Whatever the decision is, you can do no wrong in Twilight Oaks, where everyone is welcome.
CHAPTER ONE
Fuck Happiness.
The fleeting thought crossed my mind as I stood in the bedroom closet I shared with Cole and stared at the racks of clothes. What would happen to me now? Where do I go next? How do I find that dreaded happiness again? When it arrives, will it come temporarily, like a visitor? Or will it stay this time? Will it hold me forever?
Only yesterday I was smiling. Hopeful even, ready to put one foot forward and focus on my future. But today, tears fill my eyes and the various colors of clothes become one irritating blur.
People speak of happiness like it’s some tangible, obtainable object—like you can simply grab hold of it, kiss it, and cling to it. Make it promise to never leave you.
Perhaps it is like an object in the metaphorical sense. You can hold on to it all you want, but the thing I’ve learned about Happiness is that it hates clingy bitches. Happiness is disloyal. Unfaithful. Unyielding. It doesn’t care what happens to you when it walks out of the door. It’s like a bad guest, one who shows up when they feel like it. Lingers around. Takes up space. Eats all your favorite snacks. It’s the kind of friend who is so charming and loving that you forget all about their flaws and the way they walked away from you the first time.
Like I said, Fuck happiness. It can go to hell for all I care. I sniffled as I stepped deeper into the closet, wiping my face with the back of my arm. The brakes of a car let off a light squeal.
Cole was home.
A sudden flash of anger wrapped around me, so white-hot that I swear my skin was sizzling. I snatched as many of his pieces of clothing as I could off the hangers. My arms were full of trousers, button-down shirts, silk ties, jeans, T-shirts—whatever I could manage. All of it had to be worth thousands of dollars. I even bent down to grab a pair of his favorite Jordans—a custom-made eggplant pair that I always hated the color of. I snatched down belts, a case of watches, a pair of Versace sunglasses.
The front door closed just as I left the bedroom and rounded the corner, hugging the items. I could smell burning wood from here. Cole’s eyes expanded when he caught sight of me. “Rose,” he said, but I was already walking in the opposite direction, toward the back door. “Rose. Hey, what are you doing?”
I ignored him and walked straight through the door I’d left wide-open. I hoped a million mosquitoes had flown inside just to bite his ass up all night long. The sun was setting, and the air was cool. The firepit was ablaze and the flames enticed me the closer I got. The heat swelled, strong enough to make a person sweat. I swear the crackling of the flames sounded like someone was laughing while chanting, Do it, do it, do it!
Cole shouted my name, chasing after me as I approached the roaring fire. I hurled all of his clothes into the firepit, pulled off my wedding ring, tossed it in too, and watched it all burn.
Eve Castillo journal entry
I found myself staring at my reflection again. I stared for so long it seemed I wasn’t even real anymore. My features became invisible, and my eyes did that weird thing where they glaze over. It’s like an out-of-body-experience—like I’m not myself at all.
Then I blink, snap out of it, and feel the breath coursing through my lungs, the prickle of my skin, the beating of my heart. I wish I could stay that way—living outside my body, watching this ridiculous girl stand for so long she rots.
I wish I was happier, or that I had a simpler life.
I wish I didn’t have to fake smiles.
I wish I didn’t hate myself so much.
CHAPTER TWO
Three Months Later
Corporate parties should be illegal. I didn’t understand how people really looked forward to these things. Socializing outside of working hours with coworkers? Being in the same room as your boss and enjoying an alcoholic beverage with them?