𝐁𝐮𝐲𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐇𝐚𝐩𝐩𝐢𝐧𝐞𝐬𝐬 - On Hiatus

7. 𝐉𝐨𝐲𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐞

Before they left, Will put a manila envelope on the table in front of me. I didn't make any move to open it at first. A part of me was still swept up in the emotions of all this new information. In my mind, I'd already made my choice, and I feared once I opened it I would have hope. Hope right now was dangerous.

It was all so surreal. The charges, the bullshit with Michelle, and now this sudden inheritance; I felt like I was seconds away from waking up. This had to be some kind of delusion.

If this was real, it would change everything.

What scared me the most was the possibility of winning this case and all of this being taken away from me. What if I wasn't actually related to them? What if somebody fought me on inheriting my share? I would have fought for nothing. I didn't have time to be stupid, I needed to think clearly.

Huffing, I ran my hands over my face. It was all too much packed into one week.

After a while, I pushed the envelope out of my mind and decided to look around the condo. It was like something you'd see in a movie. Floor-to-ceiling windows, flawless hardwood, and a loft staircase, and every inch was spotless. There were three bedrooms as well as three bathrooms, which all contained a glass door shower. The main bathroom also held a huge garden tub that sat in the middle of the room like a jacuzzi. It was beautiful.

Eventually, I found myself in the garage. It was pitch black with only the light from the foyer peeking in. I searched the wall for a light switch and accidentally pressed the button to open the garage. The sudden loud rumble almost shot me out of my body. The light crept in and washed over three sports cars with dark matte finishes. They were all the latest models, and I could tell from their bodies that they were brand new. Every worry in my brain was replaced with admiration and awe.

"Yo, they can't be serious," I whispered to myself in disbelief.

I couldn't resist reaching my hand out and trailing over the hood of each car. It felt illegal to even breathe on them but my hands had a mind of their own. A chill ran down my spine like a bad omen. Every part of my gut was saying this all was too good to be true. Any moment someone would be home and catch me sneaking around in their garage. Still, I found myself floating to a dish containing an array of key fobs. I didn't even care which one I grabbed, I just snatched it as fast as I could.

If I was going to jail anyway, what would be the harm in taking one of these for a spin?

When I pressed the button, the headlights of a navy green Audi A5 illuminated. I took a sharp breath approaching it as if it was an animal in the wild, afraid to disturb it. I took my sweet time sliding into the driver's side and sat back comfortably against the leather interior. It felt like I was resting on a cloud. I laid my head back against the rest and pressed the button to start it.

Once the engine started purring, I couldn't hold back anymore. I didn't even put on my seatbelt before I shot out of the garage and zipped off down the road. For once in a very long time I felt like nothing in the world mattered. I just felt alive.

It handled so much smoother than Michelle's Altima. The car moved exactly how I needed it to, dipping and dodging through traffic as I made my way out of the neighborhood. Cars, palm trees, and buildings alike blended into a blur around me as I rolled down the windows taking in the fresh air. I didn't know where I was going or how I'd get back to that condo; I just kept driving.

By the time I came to a stop, the sun had gone down. There were so many different emotions rushing through me: fear, excitement, doubt, stress, and heartache. I'd found myself outside of Michelle's apartment building.

I needed her now more than ever, but I knew to her it would all sound like a lie. I was accused of stealing from my job and suddenly I had an "inheritance". She'd already made it clear to me that there was no trust between us.

Taking a deep breath, I put the car in drive and made my way back to the beach townhomes. It didn't take much riding around to find the garage still wide open.

When I made it back inside there were still a million things running through my mind. I sat on the couch running the past few days over in my head time and time again. The envelope on the table seemed like it was staring at me, burning holes in my face.

I was never a lucky person; everything that could go wrong for me typically did. Then there was a little package of hope sitting in a condo I could never afford. It made me think of how little I fought for hope. Maybe that was to blame for my track record of misfortune.

Either way, I'd spent my entire life suffering. If there was a sliver of hope that it could change, I intended to take it. Even if it was all a ruse, even if nothing was waiting for me on the other side, at least I'd have the satisfaction of knowing I fought.

So I picked up my phone and called the only person I knew who could help, Cupid.

Thank you for reading.
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