Chapter 31

CHELSEA

I’m tucked away at my desk, wrapping up another chapter. This book is almost done, but I’ve got enough ideas to fill a dozen more. This place is pure magic. Every morning, I wake up to a fresh start, a new chapter.

Christopher is my perfect match. He’s shown me the depths of true love. He’s taken me to places sexually that I never dreamed of. I feel like I’ve been given a second chance at life, with a new purpose and a new partner.

I glance at the clock—it’s nearing midnight. I look up from my computer and out the window. It’s raining, a first since I’ve been here. I feel a pull to be out in it.

I rise from my desk and make my way to the front porch. I fling the screen door open and dash outside.

The rain is steady and strong, and I’m drenched within seconds. I dance and splash in the puddles, spinning in circles, laughing.

I stop when I spot a figure on the porch. It’s Christopher, leaning against a post, a smile playing on his lips.

“You’re a beautiful sight,” he says.

I brush my wet hair out of my eyes. He’s standing there in just jeans. “Damn,” I mutter.

He walks over to me. His hand cradles the back of my head as I look up into his eyes. His other hand rests on my lower back.

I glance down and notice the bulge in his jeans. I reach out and stroke his hardness. He kisses me fiercely, his tongue demanding entrance, which I willingly grant.

He releases me and I lean back against my car. His grin sends a rush of heat through me.

He pulls my wet shirt over my head, revealing my hard nipples. They tighten painfully.

He grins wickedly as he spins me around and bends me over the car. He reaches down and tears my panties off.

“I’ve told you before. I don’t like it when you wear more than one piece of clothing.”

I hear the sound of his zipper, then feel his urgency. In seconds, his cock is buried deep inside me.

I gasp in pain; I wasn’t prepared for that.

“Ouch,” I say as his hand presses my head down onto the wet car. His other hand grips my hip as he drives into me on the hood of my car. “Chris!” I cry out. “Chris!”

“What!” he says, halting.

“Why are you being so rough?”

“I just miss you, and I can’t get enough of you. I just don’t want you to leave me for someone else.”

“I’m not going anywhere. I’ve told you before, and I’ll tell you again. I’m yours and no one else’s,” I say as he releases my head. I look back at him. “Fuck me like you love me.”

He gives a small smile as I lie back down on the car, arms spread. He takes my hips and starts to make love to me, the way he did when we first met.

This feels better than anything I could have imagined.

After a few minutes of sliding up and down on my wet car, he lifts me up and my legs wrap around his waist.

He holds me, looking into my eyes, and continues to make love to me in the rain.

My arms are around his head as I gaze into his emerald eyes. They’re even more beautiful outside. I can see the love he has for me.

“Cum for me,” I whisper as he begins to moan. He cups my ass and quickens his pace. “Yes, like that.”

Moments later, I feel his release as he fills me.

He sets me down gently. “I love you,” he says.

“I love you more.”

LYNN

I open the next journal; it starts in 1936.

“Zoey, is there another book? This one jumps four years,” I say.

Zoey and Dan rummage through the box and others, searching for another journal. They both shake their heads at me. I start reading the next book.

~November 9, 1936: Haven’t written in my journal in over four years. Been really busy with the hospital.~

~Haven’t been getting any insanity cases or pleading insanity for a lesser trial. Maybe what I did in the past made a difference.~

~January 2, 1937: Someone is playing tricks on me and my nursing staff. Came to work after the beginning of the new year to see all the doors and windows open.~

~The ward stayed locked, thank God. Everything in my office was open. All the drawers and cabinets throughout the hospital. Can’t explain.~

~February 7, 1937: Sad news to report. Some of the children were found dead in their rooms. Autopsy report shows they froze to death in their sleep. Can’t explain. We’ve had very mild winters here, nothing below fifty degrees.~

I skip several pages in her journal.

~June 12, 1945: My sister Paula gave birth to a boy today. He weighed in at eight pounds twelve ounces, very healthy for a boy. She named him Daniel Adam Smithson. Can’t wait to be an aunt to this handsome baby boy.~

“Daniel Smithson is Chelsea’s grandfather,” I say to Dan.

“Well, at least they named him Dan,” he says with a chuckle.

~July 12, 1945: Hospital staff swear that the hospital ward is haunted. A lot of unexplained occurrences, moving chairs, flowing curtains, and a chill in the air.~

~I’m starting to lose staff because of it. I, for one, don’t believe in ghosts.~

“She breaks in her journal again. This time a three-year gap,” I say.

~July 17, 1948: My sister gave birth to a girl. She named her Dorothy Strange after the father instead of Smithson. Her husband has left her and took their son away to live in another state.~

~I can’t wrap my head around the fact that my sister has been unfaithful in her marriage. It’s so unlike her. It’s not what she was taught, and I know there will be consequences.~

~September 13, 1948: The hospital staff is dwindling. They’re convinced the place is haunted. I don’t see it. I’ve heard the sounds of children playing in the attic, but when I go to check, it’s just my uncle’s old stuff. I think it’s all in my head, and the staff is just spooked.~

~August 9, 1949: The state is considering closing the hospital because of budget issues. They can’t afford to pay the staff what they’re asking for. They’re blaming it on the hospital’s dark history. Their solution is simple: shut it down. But I won’t let it go without a fight.~

~March 30, 1950: I’ve fought against every closure order, but the state has given me a deadline. Once the funds run out, the hospital will be closed.~

~April 1, 1951: I thought it was a cruel April Fool’s joke. But it’s real. The hospital is closed due to lack of funds. They say that’s the reason, but I know it’s because of the bad press and the scandal surrounding the murders.~

~April 20, 1951: I’ve locked up the hospital. I guess this is the start of my retirement.~

~May 3, 1951: I’m starting to notice strange things around the house. Unexplained noises, cold spots, doors and cabinets left open. It feels like someone’s messing with me.~

~May 10, 1951: I’ve hired a young man named Willie Stiles to help with the property, mostly for security. A friend from the hospital recommended him. He’ll also take care of the property while I’m away on business.~

~June 11, 1951: I’m back from my European vacation. Willie, my caretaker, is spooked. He says the lights would turn on and off on their own when I was away, and the windows and doors would slam shut without any wind. I’m not sure what to make of it, but I think he might be using drugs. I should start looking for a replacement.~