Fate's Identity

Chapter 80

I was released from the hospital a couple days ago. And ever since I returned, I felt different. I needed a change. Life was going to be shorter for me now. A change is definitely necessary.

First, I began cleansing myself from him. I made sure I had none of his belongings left with me. Second, I made a small bucket list of all the things that I wanted to do. None of them were as risky as I thought it would be, but it was things I wasn't allow to do under Simon's rules and regulation.

I'm looking forward and not turning back.

One afternoon, Selena enters the apartment with a handful of letters. She tosses them on the dining table, where I was sitting. I reach over and search each letter until I found a letter with my paycheck on it. My last paycheck from the movie. I rip the letter open and pull out the paycheck. My heart races as I see the paycheck of $400,000. I knew exactly where I wanted to spend this. I will be checking my bucket list off for this.

A made a few calls, and the very next day, Selena took me down the street of where the prize was. I see the familiar trees passing by, and my heart flutters. I scroll down the window and see the beautiful house sitting where I last left it. I see the dock where I would come and think or clear my mind. The beauty of the lake and the sound of nature combined was my euphoria. I could spend years sitting there.

"This is the place?" Selena questions as she parks on the dirt road in front of the house.

I turn to her and smile. I nod my head. "Yes," I answer. "Everything here is beautiful. I will never get tired of this place. However, I don't miss eating the same food everyday."

Selena grins. "Well, I agree that this is a beautiful lake house, but are you sure you want to buy it?" She furrows her brows, and I nod my head as a response. She sighs, giving me the lecture/judge-y look. "Ally, why are you buying this house? You already have a home."

I turn to look at the dock and point towards it. "You see that dock over there?" I ask.

"Yes," she answers.

"When I was here by myself or with Liam, I came to the dock, and every time I do, I feel relaxed and at peace," I explain. "That small place really helped me, and without it, I wouldn't know if I would be here mentally."

"Oh, gee," Selena mumbles. I shift my attention on her, and she opens her arms up and wraps them around me. "You poor thing," she says. "So are you going to move here or not?"

I pull back and face her. "I don't know," I answer. "I think I will just own it until my original plan comes back. Maybe then, I will decide. And if it doesn't come back, I will figure something out."

Selena creases her brows and mouths "original plan". Her eyes widen as she speculated, "Original plan as in Liam? You're still waiting for him?"

I shake my head. "No. I'm not. Can we please not bring him up?"

Selena's eyes shift below my chin. "And you're still wearing his necklace," she points out.

"No," I rebuttal. "This necklace is mine. Liam might have given it to me, but it's mine. And I chose to wear it. Just like I am choosing to buy this house."

"Ally, you're not trying to give him up," she says. "You're constantly reminding yourself of him."

"Selena, you can think what you want, but I know that I am doing this for me and only me," I said. "Now, excuse me, I have to look inside the house."

I pull the handle and exit the car. I shut the door and froze as my eyes stare at the house. The porch has grown less sturdy, and there's more grass growing around the house. I walk up the porch and unlock the door. I turn the knob and swing the door open. Immediately, I was greeted by some spider web. I swallow hard, trying to ease my fear of spiders.

I swat the webs out of the way, closing my eyes. My hands lead me inside the house, and I open my eyes. I stood in the living room and close the door. I held my hands and walk into the kitchen. I turn on the faucet and wash my hands. I dry them once I was done and turn off the faucet.

I spin around, and a pit grows in my stomach as I take notice of the entire kitchen. Everything was dusty. The dining table was where I last left it. Even though it's been almost a year, I'm glad I was able to buy this house.

In this very kitchen, Liam and I had almost dance before I found out he lied to me. If it wasn't for me to ruin it, we would've dance the night away.

And the couch in the living room was where Liam and I took a nap. I can still remember our hands interlocking and the warmth of his body. Just the thought of the feeling sends chills running down my spine.

My eyes shift to the backdoor in the kitchen and I walk to it. I open the door and saw the bench we rested on the third of our getaway where I read, and Liam laid on my lap and took a short nap. I smile and head back inside.

I stand by the stairs and ran my fingers up the railing as I trot up the stairs. The smooth texture soften my touch. I step on the second floor and turn to the room Liam and I resided. I swing the door open, and my heart races, happy to see this room again. The mattress had a little dust on it. And the paint on the walls were a little faded, but with some repainting, it will be like nothing has changed.

I slam my hands against the mattress and a puff of dust flows through my nose. I cough and swat the dust away from me. Maybe I should get new mattresses as well.

Beep! Beep! My phone rang. I pull my phone out of my pocket and see a call from Niall. I swipe the answer button and press the phone against my ear. "Hello?" I ask.

"Ally, are you busy Saturday?" Niall asks.

I shake my head even though he couldn't see me. "No, I'm not. Why?" I question.

"Normani and I are throwing a house warming party this Saturday, and we are hoping you can make it," Niall explains.

My eyes widen, unexpected of the new news. "What?!" I exclaim. "When did you two get a house?"

"While you were in Bradford, Normani and I talked to Simon, and he allowed us to buy a house down the street, across from Sonia's house," he answers.

"Oh," I mumble. "Really? That's amazing. I can't believe you guys are growing up so fast. First marriage, and then Noah. Ah, I hope you guys are happy."

Niall chuckles on the other side, and that warms my heart. "Thanks. We've been trying to adjust to this parenting thing still," he says.

"Yeah. You two are great parents so far. Don't worry about it," I said.

"Thanks again. Oh, and the house warming party begins at three. Please be ready and early. Normani really wants to see you," Niall says.

"Okay. Tell her I miss her, and I will try to be early," I said.

He replies, "I will." A second later, he says, "I guess that's it. I will talk to you later."

I smile and nod my head. "Yeah, see you later."

I remove the phone from my ear and hang up the call. I inhale deeply, soaking in the moment.

After a moment, I walk down the stairs and found Selena entering the house. Her eyes trail around the house, astounded by what she is observing. "This is a really nice house, minus the dust, of course," she says as she stands in the middle of the living room.

I walk up to her and reply, "It's even more beautiful when it's clean, and I will get to cleaning once I have the supplies."

"I can help you," she says. "What supplies do you need?"

"Thank you," I said. "I need some wall paint, dust remover, broom, and vacuum."

"Okay, I just need to buy wall paint and the rest I should have," Selena states. "Do you want to get started?"

I crease my brows and think for a moment. "Um, sure," I answer shortly.

Selena and I exit the house and head back to the car to get the supplies.