Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 4

She slid a check across the table. Willa had to count the zeros twice before she could comprehend the number.

Five million dollars.-

"The Yates family does not allow anything that disgraces our legacy."

She had taken that check, but not for herself.

——

By the time they arrived at Zack's house, it was already late.

Mrs. York led Randal upstairs. "I've always kept the guest room ready for you. See if you need anything else and just let your aunt know."

Randal offered a brief nod before abruptly stopping in his tracks. His eyes locked onto the pink suitcase in Zack's hand. "You and Willa... are sharing a room?"

Zack rubbed the back of his neck guiltily but forced a confident tone. "Yeah, we've been dating for a while. It's totally normal to share a room, right?"

Randal's brow furrowed. "Normal?"

Mrs. York chuckled warmly. "Randal, you're so young, but your mindset is more old-fashioned than ours."

Randal didn't reply. He turned on his heel and strode up the remaining stairs without giving them another glance.

Willa kept her head down and followed Zack closely into the master bedroom on the second floor.

The moment the door clicked shut, she leaned her back against the solid wood and finally allowed herself to take a deep breath.

Zack set down her suitcase, looking sheepish. "Um... Willa, to keep my mom from getting suspicious, I'm afraid you'll have to squeeze in here with me tonight. You take the bed, and I'll take the floor. There are fresh blankets in the closet."

Exhausted in both body and soul, Willa didn't have the energy to argue about the logistics.

She pulled her pajamas from her suitcase, the knot of anxiety and dread in her chest pulling tighter by the second.

"Zack, can we... head back to Norvale a little earlier?"

Zack seemed to guess her reasoning. "Do you... really dislike my cousin?"

How could it be dislike?

It was because she had once loved him so deeply that simply facing him now drained every ounce of her strength.

But she couldn't say that, so she offered a vague excuse. "He clearly has a problem with me. Me being here just makes everyone uncomfortable."

"He isn't targeting you specifically. It's just that his personality has grown so extreme over the years. Even I'm a little intimidated by him."

With that, he got up and left the room.

The moment Zack stepped out, Willa's phone lit up.

It was an incoming voice call.

But when she saw the contact name, her blood ran cold, freezing her in place.

For five entire years, this contact had never called her once.

Nor had they sent a single message asking if she was doing okay abroad.

She didn't have the courage to answer, letting the ringtone play out until it automatically disconnected.

Before she could even breathe a sigh of relief, the phone buzzed again.

This time, it was a text message.

[Willa, heard you're back in the country? Your mom wants to see you, and Warren keeps mentioning he wants to treat you to dinner.]

Staring at the name "Warren" on the screen, a wave of pure nausea churned in Willa's stomach.