Chapter 3. The Condition

“You were loved; they may not be the ones to give birth to you, but they loved you nevertheless, even more so than their own daughter.”

Sitting back on his chair, he took out another file from his briefcase, “Valentina always was the jealous type. Even as a little girl, she hated sharing toys with other kids, so imagine how she felt when they all forced her to accept you. I remember the first few months. She would sneak into the nursery and pinch you till you cry; when David found out about this, he was furious. He tried to make her understand, but no one could break through her hate. So, finally, they had to send her to a boarding school out of state. That just made things worse between you girls, but at least you were safe.”

Evalina looked at her hand; she was still wearing the bracelet her parents-yes, she thought, they would always be her parents-had given on her eighteenth birthday. She remembered how Valentina threw her cake off. Valentina had come home unexpectedly; Evalina finally understood the reason for the look of betrayal and hurt visible on her face when she saw her parents hugging Evalina and the party they had arranged.

Looking back, she thought she should have guessed something was off. Evalina was petite, just 5 feet 2, whereas Valentina, David, and Lucy were all closer to 6 feet. She looked down at her midnight blue hair; she had thick, long hair; none of the others in the family had such dark-colored hair.

“Eva, listen, we don’t have much time. We need to get you out of this house before she comes back. It’s not safe to have you stay here anymore.” He set a thick, dusty file in front of them.

“Elijah knew something about you; he made me promise if anything like today were to happen, I was to give you this. I don’t know what is in there; he told me to give this to you and that it will guide you.”

“Guide me to do what?” Eva was becoming overwhelmed.

“I have no idea. Here, this is for you,” he said, handing over a set of keys and a file.

“Elijah left you his house and a trust fund, but on one condition. You have to live in this house for at least a year.”

“Well, seeing how I’m about to become homeless, I’ll take it. Where is the house? Does Valentina know about this?”

“For obvious reasons, no, she doesn’t. So you need to leave before she comes and asks me questions I can’t lie to,” he said, dragging Eva off the chair and pushing her toward the room.

“Pack whatever you can; the rest I’ll send to storage till you can come back for it.”

She started packing what she could into several traveling bags, and Jimmy helped her to get everything loaded into David’s old pickup.

“Where am I going exactly?”

“Summerfield; you remember Elijah’s lake house?” 

She nodded.

“Good, that’s where you will go, but remember, if you can’t reach the house before nightfall, stay at a hotel in the town. Don’t go off the highway after dark.”

“Why?” Eva asked, turning her engine on.

“There’s a lot of wildlife in that area; remember, it’s the countryside, and the house is surrounded by the woods, so till you get the hang of it, listen to Joanna,” Jimmy said.

“Who is Joanna?”

“She is the housekeeper; she knows the area; Elijah hired her a few years ago. Remember what I said: don’t go off the highway after dark. I’ll call Joanna and tell her to expect you; if you need anything, ask her or me,” Jimmy said, holding on to her door.

“I know. Thanks for everything,” Evalina said, trying hard to contain her tears. Everything changed so quickly. She knew by the time she went to bed tonight, she would be in a different state, in a different house, expecting to lead a different life. She took one last look at the house. It always amazed her how much her parents loved her; she felt their love every single day of her life. Now, knowing the truth, she understood Valentina’s frustration and hatred better.

“Don’t feel sorry for Valentina; she has too much of Verona in her. Both of them are incapable of feeling love,” Jimmy said, sensing the direction of her thoughts.

“I guess, but still, I feel guilty. She is right; I stole her life. It’s my fault they had to send her away.”

“No, you were never responsible for this mess; Verona was, and to some extent, your parents even, but never you or Valentina.” This was reassuring. Evalina looked a little less troubled.

“Go. I’ll call Joanna and let her know.”

Jimmy waved her off. As Eva sped off, unbeknownst to either of them, the next-door neighbor, Mrs. Davis, stepped out of the hedge she was kneeling at. She had a spade in one gloved hand and her phone in the other. She dialed someone and waited impatiently to be picked up.

“Yes, she just left. Jimmy was with her. Looked like she is moving out, from what I heard, to Elijah’s lake house.”

“Yes, the one in Summerfield. What do you mean why? I told you to keep that chick away; yes, I meant Valentina. She never knew when to keep her trap shut.”

She listened for a while. “Of course, we have to tell her now, and no, before you ask, I’m not going to tell her. It has to be you. Well, good luck,” she chuckled and hung up.