Total pages in book: 17
Estimated words: 16175 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 81(@200wpm)___ 65(@250wpm)___ 54(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 16175 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 81(@200wpm)___ 65(@250wpm)___ 54(@300wpm)
“Her boyfriend.”
The laughter spilling from my father’s lips is bitter and sharp, his eyes crinkling with a biting edge. One hand rubs his jaw and he flicks his eyes from me to Theo. The sly smile chills me and makes dread pool in my stomach.
With a subtle shake of his head, he tuts. “If there’s one good thing about you, Tess, it’s your consistency. You’ve always been a disappointment. Always. Whether it’s at school or social events, you’ve never met my expectations no matter how low I set the bar.”
He cuts his icy gaze to Theo and scoffs at me. “Your sister married one of the most powerful men in the country. Someone who can buy her diamonds for breakfast without going bankrupt. But you…” He points at Theo. “You’re with this?”
He loosens his tie and shoots Theo a hostile look. “What are you, boy? An ex-con? Where did you get that scar? Prison? I won’t be surprised if your rap sheet is as long as my arm.”
That’s it.
I step in between them, holding out my hands. “Stop it, Dad.”
His features contort in a grimace, nose wrinkling. “Get out of here, Tess. You’re done embarrassing me tonight. You are not walking around and socializing on his arm. Message me when you’ve dumped him. Then, we’ll talk.”
With my eyes on the floor, I shake my head. “No.”
“No?”
I will not cry. I will not give him the satisfaction of seeing me break in front of him. No. But I’m done bending over backward to please him and make him proud. I’m sick and tired of living my life constantly seeking his approval and validation.
This ends now.
Tears prick the back of my eyes, but I blink them away, swallowing past the massive lump in my throat. My hand seeks Theo’s and he clasps it, sliding his fingers through mine. “You’ve always looked for reasons to hate me. My hair, my makeup, my friends, my clothes, my course, my grades. Now, my boyfriend.”
He glares at me with a disdainful twist of his mouth. “Well, you can’t really blame me, can you? If you had half your sister’s sense—”
“I am not her!” My composure slips, and I raise my voice for the first time … ever.
His eyes stare at me in astonishment, quickly scanning for people he knows behind me. He opens his mouth to speak, but I cut him off.
“No, Dad. You’ve told me enough already. It’s my time to talk.”
“You can, daughter. Doesn’t mean I have to listen to it.” With one last sneer, he turns his back to me.
“You hate me because I look like my mother.” This stops him in his tracks, but he still refuses to look back, his shoulders tense. “You told me I was worth nothing and would amount to nothing when I was eight. Eight! For years, I tried so hard to please you, but nothing is good enough. No matter what I do.”
I take another breath and give him a rueful laugh. “You know what I realized, Dad? I’m not the problem. I never was. It’s you. It’s always been you.”
I don’t wait for him to say anything. I spin on my heel and slide my arm through Theo’s. A few steps farther and I hear him clear his throat.
“He won’t be able to give you the life you’re accustomed to. You know that, right?”
I’m about to answer him, but Theo puts his hand over mine and squeezes. He looks at my father over his shoulder. “I don’t have your wealth, sir. Maybe I never will. But you know how I’m better than you? Because I’ll marry her and make her so damn happy every single day of her life that she’ll never even consider leaving me. I haven’t met her—your ex-wife, Tess’ mother—but can’t say I blame her for walking away.”
5
THEO
“So, what do you want to eat?” I shift the gear to drive and look at her from the corner of my eye.
Tess giggles and pulls down the sun visor. She leans closer to the small mirror and wipes something from under her eye. “Why do you always ask me that?”
“It’s a long story.”
She nudges her chin to me and her mouth curves in a smile. “I have all the time in the world.”
For someone who tries to say as little as possible, I always feel like talking and telling Tess everything about my life. It’s like I want her in on every dark secret, every shameful thing that happened to me, every small stuff that made me who I am today.
“When I first arrived at the Tate’s, I was broken from the inside. I was angry at everyone and everything. Hate consumed me. Viktor tried to be friendly, but I didn’t trust him. I didn’t trust their kindness. I knew I wouldn’t stay long because I only had a few weeks before I turned 18. Then, Mom came in and asked me what I wanted to eat.