Meant To Be by Unknown

Author:Unknown
Language: rus
Format: epub
Published: 2011-02-23T05:00:00+00:00

Chapter 17

The antique bed squeaked with my every movement, and since I was tossing and turning more than I was still, the cacophony was almost laughable. But I was a long way from laughing.

It was three o’clock in the morning, maybe four. The light on my digital watch still worked, but since two-fifteen the numbers had started to disappear whenever I pressed the button—a sure sign that the battery was weakening. Not so, my resolve.

Alone in the inn all evening, I had indulged in my fill of both crying and shouting. By nightfall, I had a plan. There would be no more personal interviews—no more phone calls, no more meetings to manipulate my emotions. I would find my truth in the facts—the cold, hard, institutional kind.

At first light I would type up a request to the state for my original birth certificate. Jake Kozen had offered to send me a copy himself, and if his name was on it, he might do that. But his name would mean nothing. A mother could write down whatever name she wanted, and if Sheila had been unfaithful, she probably would have concealed the fact. Hoping for her to have legally acknowledged another man as my birth father was a pitiful long shot—but one I was determined to try.

As for confirming my whereabouts as a preschooler, I knew that my own records from the juvenile court would be sealed. But Sheila’s criminal record was part of the public domain—and as soon as the doors of the county courthouse opened, I planned to find out once and for all exactly what my birth mother had been convicted of. Perhaps then I could determine whether her parental rights had been terminated against her will. And when.

I flipped onto my stomach, trying to get comfortable. I had to sleep. I could not endure two sleepless nights in a row—my senses were muddled enough already.

An image of Fletcher wafted across my mind. He was standing by the creek, the sun bouncing off his hair. He was smiling at me, but there was something in his eyes—something that worried me.

My stomach churned. I had vowed to stop thinking about him—to stop wondering what it was that he was hiding. I had to stay focused. I had to protect myself.

I pushed his image aside.

It came back.

I grumbled and flopped over again.

A soft clicking noise echoed through the hallway. I stiffened, instantly alert. The clicks were followed by a low whine—the unmistakable sound of a door swinging on its hinges.

Goosebumps rose along my arms. The whining noise ceased, followed by the return click of a lock. Then quiet footsteps sounded on the common room floor.

I sat up straight, my heart beating audibly in my chest. I swung my legs out and placed my bare feet onto the rug below. How many people, besides David, Fletcher, and Estelle, had keys to the inn? Probably quite a few. There was nothing to worry about—after all, this was an inn, not a house. None

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.