Regrets Of What Was Lost Chapter 05
And here I was, thinking she was handling this with some class. Turns out she was just playing the long game.
I took a breath and called the agent again.
“Sell it. List it at nine-fifty, and we’ll see what offers come in.”
The agent agreed quickly and had the listing up that same day.
Three days passed without a single showing.
The agent told me that unless we dropped the price, it would be hard to get any traffic.
Another house with the same layout had just been listed at seven hundred thousand, and all the buyers were flocking to that one.
I stared at the data on my phone for a long time, then a solution hit me.
Six hundred thousand.
I’d find a reliable friend to put the house in his name.
Then we’d sign a separate nominee agreement in private.
On paper, the house would be sold. In reality, it would still be mine.
Six hundred thousand was just enough to pay off the mortgage.
Over the years, I’d already funneled about three hundred thousand to Savannah through various channels.
Zinnia had spent years at home raising our child. When it came to these kinds of arrangements, there was no way she knew more than I did.
I called the agent back.
“I’ll find my own buyer. You just handle the transaction. You’ll still get your commission.”
The realtor agreed immediately.
“No problem, Mr. Wells. We can just process the sale.”
Seven days later, everything was more or less worked out.
I dialed Zinnia’s number.
“The house is sold. Come sign the papers.”
There was a two-second silence on the other end.
“For how much?”
“Six hundred thousand.”
“Six hundred thousand?”
Her tone lifted at the end, not in surprise, but in what sounded like confirmation.
Then she laughed.
A soft, quiet laugh.
“Fine. At that price, I can sell it directly to my brother.”
My head buzzed.
“What did you just say?”
“Tucker, I try not to assume the worst in people, which is why I’ve let a lot of things slide. But I won’t be treated like an idiot. One million. Don’t bother calling me again if it’s a penny less.”
Then she hung up.
Phone still in my hand, I stood there, and for the first time, I felt like I had never truly known this woman at all.