Chapter 102: Psychotic
Flashback: Lorenzo at eighteen
Lorenzo snuck into Ashley’s compound, cautiously, his heart racing. As always, he hoped to enter her room through the window to avoid crossing paths with her psychotic aunt.
He couldn’t tell if Charlotte was around, but he didn’t want to find out. He didn’t want to get Ashley in trouble. For reasons he didn’t fully understand, the old lady resented him and made it clear she didn’t want him anywhere near her niece. But Ashley and Lorenzo had been dating secretly for over a month.
For the past two days, though, Ashley had gone MIA, and Lorenzo was beginning to panic. He needed to know she was okay—she’d never stayed away from him like this before.
He tried to open her window, as he always did, but was shocked to find it locked from the inside. She never locked it, knowing he would visit at any time. She didn’t have a phone for him to reach her either—her aunt had seized the one she had.
But he had been saving up to buy her a new one, and he’d almost saved enough. A few more days, maybe a week, and he’d get it.
"Ash," he called softly, tapping on her window, glancing around nervously. No reply. He knocked again, still nothing. Leaning closer, he tried to peek inside but could only see the curtain hanging down.
"Ashley, please open up. I’ve got something important to tell you," he whispered desperately.
He needed to tell her about the scholarship email he received the day before. A prestigious university had offered him a chance to study art abroad. His random painting had caught their attention and they believed he had potential.