My life could have been so different if they had just fought for me harder. I know they couldn’t, and the minute they could, they took me away.
Still, the scarred soul cannot forgive or forget, no matter the reason. And I know I’m not being fair, which is why I've tried to avoid having conversations like this.
“I—”
The soft, yet distressed voice from behind me interrupts my apology, and we turn to see Aileen standing on the lawn. “Dinner is ready. Everyone is waiting for you.” Her expression tells me her heart hurts for my brother, and doesn’t that just prove my point?
My brothers have somewhere to turn to with their pain, I have no one, and I won’t ever have anyone, because who would ever love me?
“I’ll sign the papers, and you’ll have access to your money by Monday. You won this round, little one.” I freeze at this as Rush comes to me and cups my cheek. “Have your freedom.” With this, he walks away toward his fiancée.
Rafael watches me for several beats, then kisses me on the forehead, doesn’t say a word, and goes back inside while I’m left standing all alone.
Under the weight of their pain and guilt that’s crushing me. I would have preferred their rage.
A single tear slides down my cheek, and I wipe it away, knowing everyone is waiting for me, and I’d better hurry up.
However, the thought of going inside and pretending once again as if nothing happened makes me nauseous, and I can’t do it.
For once, I don’t want to choose someone else’s comfort above mine.
My purse and phone are inside, so I have no way of reaching Gordon. It doesn’t stop me from walking through thegarden toward the main entrance and hoping to find him at guardhouse.
On the way, it hits me that my invitation is still in my purse, since I planned to go to the club right after dinner.
I don’t have much time to dwell on it as I hear the roaring in the distance and follow the sound, my eyes widening at the sight of Levi sitting on his motorcycle.
“Grabbed this for you.” He extends my small clutch to me, and I’m too shocked to do anything but take it from him as I come closer.
“What are you doing here? Shouldn’t you be inside?” Wyatt and Levi could be called rule-breakers. However, they never disrespect their parents.
In other words, they would never miss family dinners or any other family occasion that required their presence.
“I have better things to do with my time than listen to siblings fighting over who loves the other more.”
Great, everyone must have heard our conversation! “Your parents won’t have a problem with you leaving?”
“No. I showed up, and that’s what matters. I don’t like food, so I wouldn’t have touched it anyway.”
“As in you don’t like what’s on the menu tonight?”
“No, I generally do not like food.”
All our dinners together flash in my head, one after another, and true to his words, I’ve never seen him eat.
He usually sipped his coffee, and that’s about it, rarely reaching for the food.
And straight up leaving the table once the desserts were out, wincing just at the sight of them.
“How is that possible? You need to eat to fuel your body.”
My mind screams at me that I should end this conversation and call Gordon, getting away from here before anyone tries tostop me, and not engage in yet another disturbing conversation with the castle’s prince.
All my interactions with him usually go south, and do I need any more stress tonight?
“I only eat when my body is starving. Otherwise, I can’t. It doesn’t matter then what I put in my mouth as long as it sustains my hunger. I’m a creature of habit, it seems.”
His cryptic reply raises more questions than it gives me answers. When did he have to starve that it became a habit anyway?
