I reached into my purse and produced the key to my door. I shoved the key in, and groaned when it wouldn’t turn.
Could I have justa littleluck today? For fuck’s sake. My friend had tried to kill me, my best friend had a predator toying with her, and now I couldn’t even get into my apartment.
Gritting my teeth, I pushed harder, jiggling the impervious door.
Nothing.
My eyebrows furrowed as I noticed the fresh coat of paint on the door. The landlord couldn’t be bothered to fix our heating issues, but he’d splurged for a new paint job.
Irritation wormed its way through my stomach as I stomped my way to my super’s door. Ignoring the late hour I knocked on the door, half expecting my fist to go through the cheap wood.
The door opened, and an unfamiliar face peered out. I glanced around, suddenly unsure if I’d knocked on the wrong door. But no, a crooked metal sign still read ‘super’.
“Can I help you?” the man asked, leaning casually against the door.
“Who are you?” I asked, blinking past my confusion. “Where’s-”
“We’re under new management,” he said, a bored expression crossing his face.
My slumlord sold the building, and I hadn’t even been alerted. Why was I even surprised? The man refused to pay for life-saving repairs. Of course he wouldn’t make the effort to update his tenants.
“Fine,” I said with a sigh. “Can you let me into my apartment? My key isn't working.”
All I wanted to do was grab the cash, and get back into the warmth of Dmitri’s embrace. A chill crept up my spine at the thought. I’d promised him I wouldn’t leave.
Dmitri was going to bepissed.
I led the new super down the hall. When I stopped in front of my apartment’s door, the super’s eyes widened comically large. My heart started racing before he even opened his mouth.
“This apartment is vacant,” he said.
“What are you talking about?” I forced out, my heart threatening to beat out of my chest and straight into my throat.
“The tenant was evicted. It’s completely empty.”
Chapter fifty-two
Alisa
While playing house with Dmitri, I’d been aware that eventually my little bubble of happiness would pop. He’d eventually grow bored, and I’d slink back home. But if I didn’t have this crappy apartment to go back to anymore… I shook my head.
Thishadto be some sort of mistake.
Maybe the new super was mixing up my apartment with another.
“Open the door,” I said.
The super scratched his shoulder, glancing back towards his own apartment.
“Please,” I said, swallowing the lump in my throat.
With a sigh, he grabbed a jumble of keys out of his pocket, and flicked through them.
Please let this be some sort of mistake.Please.
The super opened the door, and I held my breath while he groped for the light switch. He flicked it on and…
Empty space stared back at me. A fresh coat of paint replaced the pockmarked walls, and all of my pictures and furniture were gone. Any evidence of my past had been completely erased.
