Page 29 of Written in the Stars

It rings three or four times before I give in and answer it. “Hello?”

No response comes through on the other side, just heavy, labored breathing.

I look up at Lissa, who shakes her head as if asking me who’s on the phone, but I don’t even have the answer for it.

“Hello?” I repeat, hoping for whoever it may be to say something.

“Serenity…”

And there it is. A voice I’ve heard so many times before, and just as if the past couple of weeks had never happened, all the memories from my past come rushing back to the front of my mind. “Walter…”

I lift my eyes to meet Lissa’s and a look of disbelief washes over her face. She’s thinking the same thing that’s going on through my mind right now. Why the hell is calling me now?

“Hi, baby. How’ve you been?”

Baby? Why the fuck is he calling me baby?

I shake my head, trying to figure out if this call is really taking place right about now.

Lissa whispers, “Speaker! Put it on speaker!”

I hit the button, doing as she says. It might not be such a bad idea to have someone else listen in on the call.

“Walter, why are you calling me? And where are you calling me from?”

“It’s not important, my Serenity bear. What matters is that I’m talking to you now. Aren’t you going to tell me how you’re doing?”

I was doing a lot better before you called me, buddy.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake, hang up on the bastard!” Lissa murmurs, so only I can hear her.

“Walter, I’m going to hang up now. I don’t think it’s such a good idea for us to talk anymore.”

Lissa gives me the nod of approval, and just as I’m about to say goodbye and hang up, he speaks once more.

“You’re still mine, Serenity. You’ll always be mine, and I’m never going to let you go. You can count on that. See you soon, sugar.”

The line goes dead and an eerie chill runs down my spine.

See you soon?His words creep me out like never before.

“What a creep!” Lissa stands up from her seat on the bed. “You should put a restraining order on his ass. I don’t trust that asshole.”

I nod. “Me neither.”

Once again, my sister doesn’t have a bad idea, but first things first, I’m blocking this number and the one I already have saved in my phone.

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