Page 1 of Dark Daze

1

Gravel crunched under my tyres. Late dusk couldn’t penetrate the trees, leaving the outside of the massive house bathed in darkness. Here and there, windows were framed in the yellow glow of the lights inside, but heavy curtains stole most of it.

"Is this the place, Mummy?" Nova asked from the back seat. The high pitched quiver in her voice matched the swirling thoughts in my mind.

"Yes, sweetie," I said, lighter than I felt. Why the fuck was I bringing a five-year-old here? I wanted to turn the car around and get the hell out of here.

Should have.

"We won't be here long." Was I trying to comfort her or me? "Just a couple of weeks, then we'll go home."

"Okay," she whispered.

I parked my car out the front and killed the engine. For a long moment, I sat with my hands on the steering wheel, staring into the deepening shadows. My heart raced, palms damp.

I needed to start the engine and head back down the arched driveway. I reached for the key in the ignition.

The front door to the house swung open and a warm glow rushed out like even the light wanted to escape this place.

I reluctantly let go of the steering wheel and opened the door.

"Daisy!" Bella shouted. "I thought you'd never get here." Her presence was a shaft of sunlight in the middle of a storm.

I smiled back at her.Pretend everything is okay and maybe this won’t be a shitshow.

"Hey, sorry, traffic was horrendous." I slipped out of my seat and into her warm embrace. "You know I wouldn't miss your wedding for anything."

"You better not," she growled. "My parents spared no expense, and I can't get married without my maid of honour." She leaned back and looked at me with mock scolding. Or real scolding. Whatever Bella wanted, Bella got. Including me, back here. The last place on fucking Earth I wanted to be.

"Of course you can’t.” I didn’t have to fake being happy to see her. She was the only reason I stepped foot back in Dusk Bay.

“Please tell me we're not wearing bright pink dresses." I might go back to Melbourne right now if we were. Fuck that.

She snorted. "Hell no. The theme is black and white. You girls will be wearing the cutest black dresses you ever saw."

Should I be relieved or suppress a groan? I was in favour of black, but her idea of cute usually meant something I would never wear again. Not in public anyway.

"Sounds great, Bella," I said. "I can't wait to see it." I stepped away from her. "I should help Nova out of the car."

"I can get myself out of the car," Nova protested. She undid her seatbelt and pushed the door open. She looked around before she slipped out, her small body tense, and moved to take my hand.

"Well, look at you," Bella said to her. "You got so big." She gave her a searching look.

She wouldn't get an answer to her silent question. Nova was a mini version of me. A glance wouldn't reveal who her father was.

"I'm nearly six," Nova declared.

"So big," I said softly. "Let's get our cases."

"Oh, help should be coming." Bella looked over her shoulder.

"That's not necessary—" I stopped as a couple of guys appeared in the doorway and headed towards us.

In the deepening shadows and with the light behind him, I didn't notice him at first, and my eyes were on Vincenzo, Bella's fiancé.

"So here's the maid of honour," he said in a slow drawl, before Vinny could speak.

Fuck, I recognised that voice before I swung my face towards him. What the hell was he doing here?

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