SUMMARY

At 30, Nicholas Straite, a New Yorker is the American dream. He has a
medical degree from the John Hopkins School of Medicine. Nicholas owns a penthouse on Park Avenue. He also has a lover, Dr. Anne Rosenberg. Age 45, she’s sworn never to let him go.

Age 19, Elena Pereira fends off a sexual attack in her native Puerto Rico. She doesn’t press charges, afraid her family will forbid her to study in New York. After all, something worse may happen to her in the city. Still, she can’t escape her abductor, closer to her than she thinks.

In the city, Elena meets Nicholas Straite. Against all odds, they fall in love. Soon after, he begins to change. Something is wrong, but what? Desperate to save their relationship, Elena seeks the help of Katí Amilsudhir, a Cuban woman who aspires to be a santera. She knows the future of these lovers.

But Katí can’t foresee a tragedy in Nicholas’ life. Neither can she see Elena’s stalker, whom poses a greater threat than the mystery in her lover’s life, awaiting discovery. Instead, in trance she warns her, “Beware of a green house on stilts.”

When Nicholas reveals his secret, Elena must make a choice. She can walk away, or stay and live a lie. After all, he will pretend to love her again, this time as then, for the wrong reason.

Lives are shattered and rebuilt in the face of evil. But as Katí predicts, the green house on stilts frees Elena to love again.