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I’m already uncomfortably full, and barely had two bites.
My father wipes his mouth with his napkin, always meticulous in his actions. I wait for him to get up and leave, so I can get away too. But he doesn’t rise to his feet like I expect him to.
He drops the napkin next to his empty porcelain plate and takes a slow sip of his red wine. “You’re dating Grayson Hale,” he tells me, matter-of-factly.
It’s not a question. His words are a statement.
I should have known…I couldn’t possibly keep my relationship with Grayson a secret. Not that I want to keep him a secret. But I want more time with him…
Before I am forced to break our hearts. I know my father, and Grayson is not his ideal option for me, considering his past.
“He’s a good choice,” my father continues, toneless. “He’s a Hale, after all.”
My head snaps up, and I gape at him. Did I just hear him correctly?
“Benjamin Hale is a judge, and Grayson will most likely follow in his footsteps.” My father rises to his feet, pushing his chair away as he does. “You’ve done one thing right in your life, Riley. Don’t ruin this. I expect great things from you.”
My heart drops into the pit of my stomach and a prickling feeling shoots up my spine.
He steps away from the table, and I watch him walk away. My mother makes a sound in the back of her throat, bringing my attention to her. Her makeup, her hair and everything about her is flawless. As always. But she looks more like a lifeless doll than a human.
“You have the qualities to wrap a man like Grayson around your finger, Riley. Don’t waste it. You have the face and the body.” She lifts her chin, giving me that haughty familiar look. “I’ve taught you everything I know, don’t disappoint us.”
She leaves the table too, and the moment I am alone, my chest rattles with a sharp inhale. It feels like my rib cage is caving inward, trapping and squeezing my lungs. Mercilessly.
I can’t breathe under the pressure.
They approve of Grayson…
But it comes with a price.
I refuse to let my parents taint what Grayson and me have.
He’s special: our feelings for each other are neither fake nor an arrangement.
We are not an illusion or a pretty facade to manipulate those around us.
Grayson is real with me.
And I won’t allow anyone to poison what we are together.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SEVEN
Colton — 18 years old
It’s sickening.
Watching Maddox and Lila flirt constantly while they claim to be “just friends.”
Yeah, I call bullshit.
It’s sickening.
Watching Riley and Grayson be so cozy with each other. So blindly in love.
Yeah, that’s bullshit too.
They are wrapped up in their own little world, not really paying attention to anyone else around them. I’ve never seen Riley so…content before. Blissful. Calm. She beams up at Grayson, at whatever he’s saying to her. And then she throws her head back and laughs.
