Bound by the Past, Locked by the Heart novel Chapter 5

Five years ago, right after her father was arrested and before his case was even sentenced, her mother had filed for a hasty divorce and immediately married this man.

Willa had still been in college at the time. Without a single word of notice, her mother had packed up and moved into Warren Whitman's house.

By the time she returned, her childhood home was nothing more than an empty shell.

She later learned that her mother had been sleeping with Warren long before her father's arrest.

Her mother had siphoned off nearly all their savings, leaving behind only the old house registered in her father's name.

Just as Willa was about to block the number, her phone buzzed again.

[Warren says he knows some people regarding your dad's case. He can help pull some strings to reduce his sentence.]

Willa stared at the message, a bitter laugh escaping her as her eyes burned.

Help?

If they really wanted to help, where were they five years ago when her world collapsed?

Back then, an unfinished building her father was managing had collapsed, killing three workers, and he was thrown in prison.

But she refused to believe that her honest, hardworking father would ever accept bribes.

She didn't reply, but in the end, she couldn't bring herself to block the number either.

Willa tossed the phone onto the nightstand, grabbed her pajamas, and retreated into the bathroom.

When she stepped out, towel-drying her hair, she spotted a figure lounging against the wall and nearly dropped the towel in shock.

Randal was leaning casually against the wardrobe, hands in his pockets. His dark, suffocating gaze was glued to her, his lips curled in a mocking sneer. "Done showering already? You certainly couldn't wait, could you?"

She ignored the insult. "Why are you here? Where's Zack?"

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify