After her divorce, Willa starts over by renting a cozy home in a quiet town. But her fresh start takes an unexpected turn when police arrive, insisting on checking her basement… and discover something surprising.
Something that will change Willa’s life forever.
I wasn’t sure if the coffee I was drinking was extra bitter that morning, or if I was just in my feelings.
Probably the latter.
Divorce will do that to you, especially when you’re the one who signs the papers knowing that you can’t give your partner the one thing they want the most.
At thirty-five, I’ve learned to accept the reality of my infertility. But that didn’t make it easier to watch my marriage unravel under the weight of it.
My ex-husband wanted children.
Desperately.
I mean, so did I, but life had other plans.
“Willa,” Seth said one evening.
“I’m not sure how much more of this I can take…”
“What do you mean?” I asked, knowing exactly where the conversation was headed.
“I want kids, Wil,” he said.
“I’m not getting younger, and neither are you.
And we haven’t had any luck with fostering kids or surrogates who meet our requirements.”
“What would you like me to do?” I asked, putting my cup of tea down on the coffee table. “Would you like me to leave?
To end our marriage? To…
let you start over?”
Seth didn’t say anything.
It was his silence that answered all my questions.
Now, here I was, rebuilding my life in a rented house far away from the city I once called home.
The house itself was charming in a nostalgic way. There were creaky floors, floral wallpaper, and a faint smell of wood polish that gave it the feel of a time capsule.
It had belonged to an older man, Mr. Nolan, who passed away a few months ago.
His granddaughter, Lauren, who inherited it, wasn’t ready to sell the place and decided to rent it out instead.
For all its quirks, the house felt like the perfect place to start over.
Or at least, be a place for me to lick my wounds in private before moving on. It was quiet, cozy, and unassuming.
Exactly what I needed.
But that morning, my fragile sense of peace shattered with a sharp knock at the door.
When I opened the door, mug of coffee in hand, two police officers stood on the porch.
“Good morning, ma’am,” the taller one said, his hat in his hand.
The story doesn’t end here — it continues on the next page.
Tap READ MORE to discover the rest 🔎👇
