Chapter 1: When It Rains

Kori sat in the manager’s office of the bank, her heart pounding. The silence stretched on too long, making her palms sweat and her breath come shallow. Across the desk, Mr. Peterson, her boss of ten years, looked at her with a tight expression that only made things worse.

“I’m sorry, Kori,” he finally said, his voice soft but firm. “We can’t afford to keep someone who’s missed as much work as you have. I know you’ve been going through a lot, but the bank has policies.”

Kori’s stomach dropped. She knew what was coming, but hearing the words still stung.

“You’re letting me go?” she whispered, hardly able to believe it. She had given this bank a decade of her life. She had never missed a day of work—until Matt disappeared.

Matt. Her husband. Her no-good, lying husband who had walked out on her and their daughter Megan in the dead of night, taking every cent they had with him. It had been almost two months now, and Kori was still reeling from the shock. She hadn’t heard a single word from him, no explanation, no apology. Just…gone.

Peterson sighed and nodded. “It’s not what I want, but it’s company policy. You’re already two weeks behind on your deadlines, and I’ve covered for you as much as I can.”

Kori didn’t have the energy to argue, to beg for one more chance. Deep down, she had known this was coming. She just hadn’t expected it to feel like the final blow to everything holding her life together.

“I understand,” she said, forcing the words past the lump in her throat. She stood slowly, her legs weak beneath her. “I’ll clear out my desk.”

Peterson nodded again, his face softening with pity. “I really am sorry, Kori. I wish things were different.”

So did she. But they weren’t. Without another word, she turned and walked out of the office, through the quiet hum of the bank floor. Her co-workers glanced up as she passed, a few offering sympathetic looks, but most quickly looked away. No one wanted to be caught staring at the woman who’d just been fired.

Kori grabbed her things from her desk—just a few personal items, really. A picture of Megan from her last school play, a mug Matt had given her back when things were good between them, before everything had turned to ashes. She stuffed them into her purse and walked out of the building for the last time, her head spinning.

Outside, the autumn air was crisp, but it did little to clear the fog clouding her mind. She glanced at her phone. Only noon. She had the entire afternoon to figure out what she was going to do next. Megan would be home from school in a few hours, expecting her mother to hold everything together like she always had.

But Kori didn’t know if she could anymore.

By the time she reached her apartment, her feet felt like lead. The apartment complex wasn’t much—just a modest two-bedroom unit on the edge of town—but it had been home for the last five years. A place where she and Megan had built a life, no matter how imperfect it was. Kori climbed the stairs to her door, her thoughts consumed by how she would break the news to Megan, how she would pay the bills without her job.

Then she saw it.

A bright orange piece of paper taped to her front door.

Her heart sank. She didn’t need to read the words to know what it was, but she ripped it off the door and stared at it anyway.

EVICTION NOTICE.

She was almost two months behind on rent. Between Matt draining their accounts and Kori missing so much work, the bills had piled up. She had been barely scraping by, and now, this.

“No, no, no,” she muttered, crumpling the paper in her fist. She stormed inside, slamming the door behind her. “Damn you, Matt!” she shouted, kicking off her shoes with more force than necessary. “I hope you’re happy, wherever you are! You ruined everything!”

Kori threw her purse onto the couch, her hands shaking. Anger and frustration bubbled inside her, threatening to spill over. How could he have done this? Left her with nothing, no money, no explanation—just disappeared as if their life together had meant nothing. And now, she was losing everything else, too. Her job. Their home.

A knock on the door interrupted her spiraling thoughts.

She froze. For a second, she thought it might be the landlord, coming to collect or demand the keys. Her pulse raced as she yanked the door open.

But the man standing there wasn’t the landlord. He was older, maybe in his fifties, with a kind but weathered face. He wore a plain gray suit and held a briefcase in one hand.

“Ms. Kori Stenson?” he asked politely.

Kori blinked. “Yes. Who are you?”

“My name is Frank Thompson. I’m an attorney,” he said, his voice calm and businesslike. “May I come in?”

Kori hesitated. “Look, if this is about the rent—”

“It’s not,” Frank interrupted, shaking his head. “This is about an inheritance. A property, to be specific.”

Kori stared at him in disbelief. “I think you’ve got the wrong person. I haven’t inherited anything.”

Frank smiled slightly, though it didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Actually, you have. From an uncle.”

“An uncle?” Kori repeated, frowning. “I don’t have an uncle.”

“On your father’s side,” Frank clarified. “A man named Henry Stenson. He passed away several months ago. You are his only living heir.”

The words hung in the air between them, heavy and strange. Kori shook her head. “There must be a mistake. I don’t know anyone named Henry Stenson. I barely knew my father, and my mother… she never let me have anything to do with his side of the family. Said they were dangerous.”

Frank’s expression softened. “I’m not sure about that, Ms. Stenson, but I assure you, the paperwork is in order. Your uncle left you a house. It’s out in the woods, fairly secluded.”

Kori felt a cold shiver creep up her spine. “A house?” She could hardly process the information. A house from a man she’d never heard of, in the middle of the woods?

“Yes,” Frank said. “It’s been sitting vacant for years, but it’s yours if you want it. I have the paperwork here if you’re willing to sign.”

Kori took a deep breath, her mind racing. Her whole life had just crumbled—her job, her apartment. She had nowhere to go, and here was this strange man offering her a lifeline. It didn’t make sense. None of it did.

But she didn’t have much of a choice.

“Can I see it first?” she asked, her voice shaky.

“Of course,” Frank nodded, “but you’ll need to sign the preliminary paperwork to transfer ownership. After that, you can inspect the property.”

Kori looked down at the eviction notice still crumpled in her hand. It wasn’t like she had anywhere else to go. She was being evicted in a matter of days, and there was no job or money waiting for her.

With a resigned sigh, she nodded. “Okay. I’ll sign.”

Frank opened his briefcase and produced the papers, setting them on the small table by the door. As Kori picked up the pen, a strange sense of foreboding washed over her. But there was no turning back now.

She scribbled her name on the dotted line, sealing her fate.

Frank collected the documents, giving her a reassuring smile. “You’ve made the right choice, Ms. Stenson. I’ll be in touch soon with the details.”

As the door closed behind him, Kori stared at the papers she had just signed. She had no idea what she was walking into, but for now, it was her only chance.