The Living Canvas by Pepper Winters

Author:Pepper Winters
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Dark Romance, contemporary romance, Romantic Suspense, general romance, pepper winters, kidnapped, true love, child from another marriage, new adult, New York Times Bestseller
Publisher: Pepper Winters
Published: 2019-10-14T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eighteen

______________________________

Olin

A WEEK PASSED.

Every day, I struggled not to hand in my notice at work.

Every night, I struggled to sleep.

Every time I went into the kitchen, I stared at the spot where we’d had sex, and a wash of regret and relief filled me.

The regret was the hardest—full of tears and heartache and the overwhelming sensation that I’d made a massive mistake.

The relief was a gentle balm—doing its best to heal me and remind me I did the right thing.

I’d done the only thing.

No matter how hard it’d been.

But it did mean I could no longer stay here and postpone my decision.

The money my parents had deposited into my bank account remained untouched, even though my salary wasn’t enough to carry my weekly bills and pay off the debt I’d accumulated while looking after Olive.

I didn’t want to owe them anything, even though their funds would be greatly appreciated right about now.

They’d tried calling again two days ago. I’d ignored it, unable to discuss the latest news articles and the ever-growing unrest about Gil’s involvement in the body painting murders.

Maybe I’d go visit them on their travels.

Maybe I’d vanish like they had.

Either way, tonight, I had a plan.

Placing a spinach and feta pizza into the oven—unable to stop my mind from thinking of Gil calling Olive his little spinach—I carried my decrepit laptop to the dining room table and turned it on.

This time, I wasn’t looking at job sites.

Clicking on the website I’d found last week that compared international airfares and found the cheapest, I hovered my fingers over the keyboard.

Birmingham to...

I bit my lip.

Hong Kong?

Vietnam?

New Zealand?

America?

Where could I find a fresh start?

Where could my mind find peace from Gil?

I deliberated while my pizza cooked and made a list of pros and cons while I ate.

I finished two glasses of wine—very aware I had the potential of becoming an alcoholic if I kept up my alone-time drinking—and decided to let fate choose for me.

Fate had messed up my life, so perhaps, it could fix it too.

Clicking on the icon that listed last-minute sales, I held my breath as one for Brisbane, Australia popped up. Warm, friendly, lots of beaches, and tanned locals. They spoke English so I could get a job. The temperate weather would be good for my ruined back, and it was too far to rush home if I feared I’d made yet another mistake.

I inputted the parameters, chose a date two weeks in the future to give me time to end my lease, hand in my notice, and sell my few pieces of furniture, and pulled my tired and battered credit card from my purse.

I peered at the faded number.

My phone vibrated across the table.

Not again.

No.

I refused to let a phone destroy every big moment of my life.

I locked my attention back onto entering my credit card details.

It vibrated again.

And again.

God!

How was I supposed to move on if so many things kept yanking me back?

Snatching my phone, I swiped it on.

Justin: When was the last time you

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