Which would make my mother a Hampton, but why wouldn’t she have said anything?
“Glenn Hampton was the last heir,” I said, remembering the story Easton told me.
“Glenn Hampton and his wife had twin girls, your mother and Tessa. Glenn and his wife died, but the girls didn’t. You were born right up the road from here,” he said. “We were going to stay near the family home until the bitch tried to take you from me and bring you here. She tried to burn me, and the house we were going to raise you in caught on fire instead.”
No. No. That was impossible.
“I tried to burn this place down five years ago, but it just wouldn’t burn fast enough.”
“I don’t believe you.”
“It doesn’t matter,” he said and glanced out the window when sirens rang in the distance.
“It does matter. You’re changing my life in a matter of minutes and a bedtime story. I deserve the truth.”
“I told you the truth!” he roared, slapping me again. “I am your father. You were taken from me. I wanted to kill everyone who got in the way.” He pushed my hair behind my ear. “You look just like her, your mom. She was such a beautiful woman.” He hummed, appreciating my beauty and mapped my face with his finger.
I turned away from him, not wanting his touch.
“Kathy and Rocky came to visit me and made me sign away my parental rights. I figured I should, you know. I thought I was going to die in prison. Fucking Kathy and her lawyer brother, they had to pay for what they did.”
“You need help,” I said. “Let me go, and we can get you help,” I cried.
“I don’t want your help, Nora. I just want you. My daughter. I lived long enough without you,” he said. I watched Willard walk out of the room, his black leather boots thudded against the floorboard, leaving me alone with the most dangerous thing in the world.
My thoughts.
Everything he said made sense. No one knew the real story of Glenn Hampton, but my parents, they would have told me the truth. I couldn’t be related to this… murderer. I had murderer blood running through my veins, and it made me wonder if I was capable of such a thing. If it was in my DNA, then it was possible, right?
The smell of gasoline wafted in the air, and as Willard came back, a silver tank poured liquid over the floorboard with large chugs. It splashed as it hit the ground, and when he got to the doorway, he tossed the empty can down the stairs. When he came back inside the room, he kneeled on the bed, his eyes watering, either from the fumes or emotions, but it had to be the fumes.
I didn’t see this guy having an emotional bone in his body.
“Your birthday is tomorrow,” he said. “And you are going to go out of the world the same way you came in.” He lit a match and watched as the flames danced for him. “Through fire and smoke.” And with a flick of his wrist, he tossed the match toward the door, and the gasoline ignited, the fire igniting down the path he made. He covered me with his body, hugging me close.
He was comforted that we were going to die together.
I was terrified.
The only place I wanted to die was in Easton’s arms.
This couldn’t happen. Not when I just got Easton back, and we got the life we deserved.
“I love you, Nora.”
“My name is Luna,” I gritted. I refused to give the man what he wanted. Maybe he told the truth, but the thing that he didn’t know about me was, I wasn’t going to let the past interfere with my life anymore. He was nothing to me. I wouldn’t change who I was for him in the last minute because of fear, because of dying.
No, if I was dying, I was going to stay true to myself.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
The sound could have been a million things.
The rest of the house falling.
My heart breaking.
The old ghost in the house rocking the chair.