A smile trembles around her lips, then she says, “We should get you settled. Lainey will be home soon.”
“I just need to grab my luggage from the truck.”
I walk with Rachel to the front door while sucking in deep breaths of air. My heart feels like it’s hemorrhaging from the shock I’ve been dealt.
When we approach my truck, Rachel shakes her head. “God, Nova. I still can’t believe you drove all the way from Verona in this beaten-up old thing.”
Completely steamrollered by the news that Rachel has cancer, I can’t think of anything to respond with, so I just shrug.
As I haul my luggage from the passenger seat, she asks, “Only the one bag?”
“I left Trent in a hurry,” I admit. Just thinking about the man who’s made my life a living hell sends a shiver down my spine and has me wanting to curl into myself.
I have never kept any secrets from Rachel except for two. She has no idea about the abuse I suffered at Trent’s hands or the feelings I have for Easton.
She’ll be so disappointed to hear that after I got away from John, my first abusive boyfriend, I ended up with another bastard.
God, I sure know how to pick them.
After my past relationships that were so violent, I’m now jumpy around men. I don’t think I’ll ever date again. Just the thought of being alone with a man is enough to make panic grip my heart.
All the thoughts make me tremble, and I hope Rachel doesn’t notice while we walk back into the mansion. Again I feel intimidated by all the luxury and wealth. It’s like I’ve stepped into a different world where nothing makes sense.
As I follow Rachel up a staircase that has a cast-iron railing on the left side, I notice framed photos on the wall to my right. I glance over them, and seeing Easton in the photos reminds me who he is and that he’s coming home.
“So ...” I clear my throat as we reach the landing and begin to walk down the hallway. “Um ... Easton.”
Stopping by the first room on the right, Rachel looks at me with an arched brow. When she pushes the door open, she asks, “What about him?”
We step into a bedroom that robs me of my train of thought.
“Holy crap,” I whisper, gaping at the king-size bed with cream silk covers and pillows.
There’s a modern dressing table that has light bulbs all around the frame of the mirror, and to my left stands a five-tier shelf decorated with expensive-looking ornaments and two plants.
Moving forward, I avoid the fluffy cream carpet, not wanting to track dirt on it.
To my right is a walk-in closet that’s as big as the bedroom I shared with Trent.
The instant I think of the bastard, the panic and fear I’ve grown too accustomed to feeling tighten my insides.
Don’t think of him.
My own problems will have to take a back seat to what’s happening with Rachel.
“You have your own bathroom, and I’ve made sure it’s stocked with everything you might need,” Rachel says as she opens a door to my left.
I peek into the massive bathroom that looks like the ones I’ve seen in travel magazines when they showcase five-star hotels and resorts.
Not knowing what else to say, I murmur, “Thank you.”
She glances at my single piece of luggage. “We’ll go shopping soon for more clothes. My treat. It’s the least I can do for dragging you all the way to LA on such short notice.”
My hand flies up, and I wave it in a don’t-worry-about-it manner. “It’s fine. I don’t need anything.”
She lets out a sad-sounding chuckle. “You’ll have to get used to shopping because it’s one of Lainey’s favorite things to do.”
I set my luggage down near the foot of the bed and glance around the lavish room again.
