Novels by benita promise

Eric clutched the key so hard his knuckles went white.He inserted it into the lock, and scowled.It didn't turn.Didn't give.The door… was already open.Eric stood still.A shiver of unease swept over him, cold as ice, even though sweat continued to run down his face.He tightened his hold on the doorknob and pushed it cautiously, softly.The door groaned open, reluctant and slow, as if fighting him.A creaking, low sound that resembled an echo down the empty hallway.Eric stepped in.The space was dimly lit, with only the dull gray light of the windows.The scent of Lisa's perfume, floral, soft, once soothing, was faint now.Almost gone.Eric's heart racing as he stepped inside."Lisa?" he said softly, tentatively.No response.The apartment felt… wrong.Hollow in a way he couldn't articulate.He swallowed hard and went further in, his boots thudding softly on the wooden floor.The living room was neat.Too neat.The throw blanket that always hung sloppily over the couch was folded

Eric did not want to hear anything else.The second those last poisonous words left Nora’s lips,”She’s marrying Oliver” he ended the call.Exactly like that.No goodbye.No questions.No screams.His thumb struck against the red button as though it had burned him, and the phone fell loosely against his leg.Nora was probably still talking on the other end, trying to explain, to soften the blow, to make excuses or give him warnings, but Eric didn't need to hear it.He didn't require explanations.He needed one thing.Answers.Real ones.Straight from Lisa’s mouth.And he was going to get them.Eric turned around, dismissing the fact that the world appeared to turn along with him.He did not even take the time to collect the tools he dropped when he got shocked.He just thrust the envelope, the accursed envelope that had caused all this, back into his pocket.His heart pounded against his chest, every beat resounding in his ears louder than the last.Sweat glued his shirt to his back as

Eric remained still under the scorching sun, his hands quivering slightly as the paper that fell between his fingers soaked up the moisture from his palms.The envelope was already torn open. What he saw inside was a blow to the solar plexus, a straight shot to the middle of his chest, and he could not breathe in the hot, muggy midday air.A letter, formal, official, and impersonal.He read the opening lines again, his eyes scanning the crude black print, searching desperately for some concealed word or sentence that would lessen the impact, some reason that would make everything add up.But there wasn’t one. Only brutal finality.This letter serves as official notification of the termination of your employment at the Rodriguez Estate, effective one week from today…The words fuzzed a little, his vision constricting at the periphery, but he made himself continue reading.And then the following section:"By way of gratitude for your devotion throughout the years, you will be granted a

As the minute passes, Oliver’s shoes crunched against the gravel path cutting through the garden, the air grew still. That his presence was abnormal in this part of the estate. Almost… invasive. This was Eric’s place, his sanctuary, and watching Oliver here who was grinning that smug grin and had that envelope tucked behind his back, was the same feeling as Predator strolling into a meadow full of deer.Eric straightened himself off, getting soil off his palms, and met him halfway across the trimmed hedges.Eric’s gut tightened with unease and he tried to lay it off with a cautious, “Didn’t see you out here,” though he wasn’t sure Eric would buy it.Hands still behind him, Oliver stopped and his head tilted in a mock gesture of politeness. “I was just… taking a walk. Admiring your work.”Eric’s brow furrowed. “What do you want, Oliver?”The smile grew sharper.“Nothing.” Slightly turning to look at the tulips along the edge of the path, he did so. “Is there no way for me to go visit t

From its leisurely position the sun painted the Rodriguez estate with its golden radiance which fell upon both the trimmed hedges and the garden beds that Eric had tended for twelve months. Only consistent and thorough repetition could have produced the flawless condition of the estate grounds. The perfectly maintained grass reached a precise point between short and long. Flower beds displayed a synchronized display of various colors. Silent artifacts of both finance and organization remained behind the topiaries after their sculpting process.Eric dedicated all his time to this residence spending every hour and day of his existence.From his knees he studied the floral line of petunias as a petal felt as delicate as silk beneath his thumb. The current dampness in the soil remained from the pre-dawn watering and the earth released its fragrant smell across the sky. His activities of digging, planting and pruning operated like a trance which brought him calmness by drowning out mental

Nora stood motionless under the streetlamp feeling the night's chill still in her bones, as she sat in bench, in the park, while her thoughts ran wild with the strange man's words. “I worked for Eric’s father.” The words of that sentence played continuous refrains in her thoughts. The shaking photograph which she held provided concrete evidence that he was telling the truth. The proof uncovered that Eric's existence was involved in profound frightening secrets she never suspected. And yet, he had vanished. Just like that. Her legs remained paralyzed because she wished to chase him for more explanations. She remained unmoving while seating at the park center because a single searing question hammered through her mind. Eric needed to know about the information that someone was concealing from his knowledge. The process of concealment left her puzzled about what motives drove everyone to secrecy. Eric woke up when the feeble sunlight passed through the bedroom blinds. Th