Then he shoved me away.
He used real force. I crumpled onto the blackened wreckage, palms scraping against charred debris.
John pointed down at me, jaw clenched, voice like a blade.
"Stella, you've lost your goddamn mind! My father treated you like his own daughter, and now you're standing here cursing him dead?! What kind of daughter-in-law are you?! What kind of person are you?!"
"John—"
"Shut up! On the way here, Denise showed me a text my dad sent her this morning wishing her happy birthday! So what, he's dead and sending messages from beyond the grave now?!"
My head snapped up. My gaze shot past John to Denise standing behind him.
The instant our eyes met, she looked away. She stepped forward and tugged gently at John's hand.
"Johnny, I'm a little tired. Let's head back to the city. It's so dark out here... it's creepy."
John glared at me one last time.
The second he turned to Denise, his entire tone shifted.
"Okay. Don't be scared. We're leaving right now."
He took her hand and started to walk away.
But the moment he turned, an old man in plain clothes came rushing up from behind, waving his arms at me as he ran.