More important than revenge.
More important than proving him wrong.
The idea is foreign. Uncomfortable.
But it’s also… undeniable.
I straighten in the chair beside her bed, the decision forming before I can fully dissect it.
Fine.
“Okay,” I hear myself say, the words rougher than intended. “I’ll marry you.”
I take a deep breath and look at my hand. I’m not flexing my fingers. The sentence didn’t trigger angst or panic. It sparked determination.
I want a chance to help Roxy. To stand by her. To be there for her as much as she allows me.
Which isn’t much at the moment.
She is the one I choose.
The realization is a sledgehammer and a comfort blanket all wrapped in one.
Now, I flex my fingers.
Roxy sighs. “I’m a bit preoccupied with my health at the moment.”
“Sorry.”
Fuck, I’m doing everything wrong here. Relationships require a degree of emotional navigation I don’t naturally possess. I’m operating without a blueprint here.
I stand up and walk to the door. “I’m going to see if the doctor can come and talk to us. What’s taking so long, anyway?”
“There is noushere. Let me make myself clear. I’m tolerating you here because…” She shakes her head. “It doesn’t matter.”
I flinch. So many times, she reminds me of how little I mean to her. I might not like it, but she has no reason to see me in a different light. I gave her no reason. To the contrary, actually.
I fucked up.
That doesn’t mean I’m going to give up.
“You proposed. So there is anus.” That’s my argument? I’m completely unequipped for what this is. I don’t even know what it actually is.
“You rejected me. So there is nous.” She looks away.
How do we keep ending up in this ridiculous headlock?
I pinch the bridge of my nose. “Fair enough. Let’s find out what’s going on here, and let me take you to a hotel. After you rest, we will talk. I’m sure there is a way to appease your father and save your sister where you don’t have to sacrifice everything.”
She turns her head back to me, and I catch a beat of surrender in her eyes. Or I wish it were there.
Quickly, too quickly, she sets her jaw and scoffs. “You clearly know nothing about my father.”
“I’m willing to learn.”
She swallows, and the air between us fills with something that isn’t regret and betrayal. If I were a fool, I would say it might be hope and understanding.
“Every time I think I have you pegged, you surprise me.” She sighs.
