anything to do with this place, but Nana threw the world’s biggest temper tantrum and forced him to stay in the house his wife was murdered in.” She glances at me, noting the droll look on my face from her insult. “Those were my grandpa’s words, not mine. At least about the temper tantrum. Anyway, the second she was old enough, he gave it to her and moved out, and she lived on in the manor, as you already know.” I face the window again, the beginnings of the storm pattering against the glass. In a few minutes, it'll be a downpour. Thunder rolls, building to a crescendo before a loud crack shakes the foundations of the house. It matches my mood perfectly. “Do you have anything to say?” she pushes, her eyes boring a hole into the side of my head. I shake my head soundlessly, scrambling for a response. My brain is numb to coherent thoughts. There are no words. Absolutely no words to describe the utter disbelief I’m feeling. She sighs again, this time softer and filled with... I don’t know, empathy? Mom may not be a liar, but she’s also never been empathetic, either. “My dad never felt comfortable raising me here, but your Nana insisted. She loved Gigi, and she wasn’t capable of letting this house go. It’s cursed. I don’t want to see you do the same thing—grow attached to a house just because you loved your Nana.” I suck my bottom lip between my teeth, biting hard as another crack of thunder tears through the atmosphere. Was Gigi killed by her stalker? The man she called a visitor, who would come into her home and do unspeakable things. Things that she tried not to want—but did. Was it him? Was he playing her all along, sensing her growing attraction for him, despite what he was doing and took advantage? It’s the only thing that makes sense. I turn back to her. “Do they know who did it—who killed Gigi?” Mom shakes her head, her lips tightening into a thin line, causing the pink lipstick to crack. Those cracks extend far deeper than her lipstick. She’s also been broken, though I could never figure out why. “No, it still goes unsolved to this day. They didn’t have sufficient evidence, and back then, it was easier to get away with things than it is now, Addie. Some thought it was my grandfather, but I know he’d never do such a thing. He loved her dearly.” Unsolved. My great-grandmother was murdered in this very house, and no one ever caught the killer. Dread sinks into my stomach like a stone in a lake.