Total pages in book: 63
Estimated words: 63289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 63289 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 316(@200wpm)___ 253(@250wpm)___ 211(@300wpm)
I let out a long breath. “Me either.”
The rumbling of an engine sounded behind us.
I glanced over my shoulder.
A white sports car pulled up and parked. I didn't know cars well, but I knew it had cost a lot of money.
Jackson left the car, headed over to us, and gave the keys to Ethan. “Here you go, sir.”
Ethan let go of my waist and took the keys. “And Estelle?”
“With the police,” Jackson said. “Apparently the letter with your name on it, explained why she was going to kill Maya and herself.”
“Okay.” Ethan nodded and took my hand. “Let's go.”
Jackson headed back to the manor.
I laughed. “Where are we going?”
“Anywhere!” He released my hand, rushed over to the driver's side of the car, opened the door, and climbed inside.
“Oh my God.” I got to the passenger side, opened the door, and jumped in.
He lowered in his seat. “The night is ours.”
“It is.”
“We can go anywhere we want. I have my jet full of fuel. Where do you want to go?”
I blinked. “Honestly. . .”
“Yes?”
“It doesn't matter where we go as long as we are together. And in the end. . .I want to get out of this dress and just. . .go home with you.”
“Then, home it is.” Smirking, he pressed a button.
The engine roared to life.
Now that we were pretty sure we had defeated the curse, it was time to actually enjoy life.
He looked at me. “Ready?”
“Hell yes.”
The car hurtled down the open road.
Thank you, God.
I pressed the button on the door. The window zipped down. A cool breeze whipped past my face and lifted my hair. An overwhelming sense of exhilaration and freedom rushed through me.
Grinning, I yelled out the window, “Yes!”
Ethan laughed and then joined me. “Hell yes!!”
After what seemed like an eternity trapped in a time loop of hopelessness, my heart stirred with a sudden resurgence of life.
Thank you, God!
I breathed in deeply, savoring the scent of the night air. The sound of the tires hummed against the pavement. It was a soothing background melody. A rhythmic beat of life's pulse.
As we flew past manicured bushes, I felt time itself stretched out before me like a ribbon unfurling into infinity or an elastic band, taut and ready to burst. The road ahead was endless, full of possibility and adventure. It was a never-ending journey.
I gazed at Ethan and placed my hand on his as it rested on the gearstick.
He turned my way. “This is the true beginning of us.”
“I agree.”
What a crazy ass time.
My body and soul had been encased in a timeless void, until I found love. And in the end, that was what truly freed me.
Time and love.
The power of both was immense and overwhelming.
Both represented significant forces that shaped our lives and our experiences.
Both also could be finite. We only had a certain amount of time in our lives, just as we only had so much love to give. Either way, it was up to us to make the most of what we had.
Ethan drove us along.
I spotted the elegant fountain, with a brass statue surrounded by water. Then, the sight shifted to an outstretched manicured lawn.
I let out a long breath and smiled.
Finally.
But, right as we hit large iron gates, announcing the beginning of the Vanderbilt's estates, an overwhelming feeling of dizziness washed over me.
What? No.
Ethan zigzagged on the road. “Fuck!”
My stomach lurched, and my vision blurred as the truth of our situation hit me like a freight train. “The time loop is not over!”
“God damn it!”
“Shit!” I fisted my free hand, hating how my body floated and this helpless sensation swept over me.
Why?!
The car approached the gate.
How do we get out of this?!
My body shuddered uncontrollably as I clung to Ethan's hand wishing I could never let it go. But time would take us both.
It was inevitable.
Terror coursed through my veins, and it was not the fear of repeating, it was the horror of this time loop never ending.
Are we doomed?
Ethan tightened his grip on my hand too.
We kept our hands joined, fingers entwined.
Perhaps, we gave each other strength despite the chaotic situation splitting us.
As our reality shifted and spun, I gazed up at the sky and saw a wash of brilliant colors that lit up the darkness. It was as if stars were being born in reverse. The colors bled into each other creating luminescent hues of purples, blues, pinks and greens that glimmered against the black.
“I'll see you again, my love.” Ethan whispered, “Same time. Same place.”
Then, the world collapsed around me in a flurry of swirling visions.
Shards of reality cut into my heart.
A ripple of cold energy flooded me.
I forced my eyes to remain open.
I had to see what was going on around me.
It was then that I noticed clocks popping up fast around me, ticking, ticking, and ticking.
Oh God.