After the Fall A Leap into a Stranger's Arms novel Chapter 11

"Waldo, I'm really sorry. This is all because of me. I never meant for things to get so messy between you and Catherine."

"Shirley, what actually happened last night? How did you two end up like that?"

"I think Catherine was celebrating and drank too much. She started feeling dizzy, then suddenly climbed over the railing and fell. I freaked out and tried to help her."

Waldo tried to reassure her. "If you ever run into something you can't handle, promise me you'll get help. Don't put yourself in danger."

"I get it. How's Catherine doing?"

"She went and got a marriage license with the guy who saved her last night."

"What? She really married him?" Shirley nearly shouted.

"Just stay out of this, okay? I'll come see you later."

Shirley let out a weak "okay" before hanging up.

Waldo's eyes turned icy. Some nobody engineer had no right to take his woman.

***

Catherine was in a taxi when she finally turned her phone back on. It started ringing right away.

Nestor.

She knew she couldn't avoid him forever, but after how cold he’d been last night, she couldn’t bring herself to pick up.

She let it ring. Lawrence, sitting beside her, glanced over. "Family calling?"

"My dad," she said, forcing a small smile. "I'll call him back later. Don't worry, I'll handle things with my family."

"Yes," Lawrence said, then turned to Catherine. "We're here. This is my home."

Catherine stepped out with her bag and stared at the heavy black iron gate in front of her. High walls surrounded the property on all sides. She turned to Lawrence, completely stunned. "This is your house?"

Lawrence paid the driver and grabbed her suitcase. "Yeah, I live here."

"Do you live here alone?"

"My mom used to live with me, but she's staying in Harrisburg right now," Lawrence explained.

He unlocked the big iron gate with his fingerprint.

The moment the gate swung open, Catherine’s jaw almost dropped.

She hadn’t been expecting a modern mansion, but this... This was something else. The house was huge, elegant, and full of old-world charm, with a perfectly kept cream exterior, a red sloped roof, and arched windows that hinted at a long history. The front yard was a lush green lawn, and an enormous old tree stood tall in the middle, casting a cool, wide shadow over everything.