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December 2009
For the first time in months I stepped foot in my condo, an eerie reminder of my former life—before the trial, before Haley Montgomery, before Susan’s betrayal. A time when life was simpler, purer... far from perfect, but at least endurable.
“Any publicity is good publicity”—that’s what my lawyer had told me to lift my spirits after the murder charges were dropped and Brett Copper was found guilty for Susan’s murder.
What a joke.
Publicity couldn’t earn me anything of value. And since my jaunt in prison, my values drastically changed. While serving time for the abduction—a mere slap on the wrist, my attorney said—it dawned on me that no one cared about me. Not one visitor, not one pity letter. I was utterly friendless.
Until literary agents—my new “best friends”—started showing up talking book rights, movie rights... the whole shebang. Although I’d lost my credibility and position in society once the damning details of my role in Susan’s abduction came out, eventually my attorney’s words offered some hope. The hefty advance for the book deal I’d just signed would at least keep me from becoming homeless. Somewhat of a fresh start, I suppose. But not what I really wanted.
Once upon a time I had money, fame. But no companions.
With weighty steps I ambled to the middle of my living room, the gravity of my loneliness spiraling around me.
I needed air.
Balance.
Purpose.
I could no longer resume my old existence.
But then a flicker... an idea. Hope, maybe. I had truly enjoyed teaching eager pupils. They seemed to appreciate me, dare I say even like me.
Mentoring. Was it my calling? As they say, if you can’t do... teach. And I had been blacklisted from doing, so what was left for me?
The day I found Westfield, New York—or perhaps Westfield found me—resurrected in my memory. Was a new small town in my future? Was that the answer to my desperation? It sounded like just what I needed... a fresh start. Nice people in a nice town, with no sinister agenda, no disturbing baggage. A place that treasured honesty and kindness, where I could be the man I wanted to be. Maybe even meet a genuine woman who could appreciate me for me, not for what I could offer.
As I stood there, eyes engaging the hung television, modern art, and overpriced décor, I loathed the old me who once esteemed this Hollywood materialism.
No more.
It was time to begin anew. All I needed was a place to call home, to settle down and write my heart’s story, to finally build relationships.
Friends and family.
I sighed.
As this hypnotic inspiration penetrated my soul, something inside me knew I would at last find what I had been looking for all along.
Continue The Mental Madness Suspense Series with The Admirer’s Secret here:
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