Page 116 of The Dearly Departed

“If you think my mother cares about anything other than the survival of the Seint name, then you truly know nothing.”

I looked down at her. “Fine. Let’s pretend I know nothing. What’s so important about the preservation of the Seint name?”

“I don’t want to waste our time talking about that right now,” she said, shaking her head. “You’ll understand eventually and—”

“Make me understand now,” I said, narrowing my eyes. “What don’t—"

“Why did you come when I texted you?”

Frustrated that she was ignoring me, I rolled my eyes and asked with a huff, “Why wouldn’t I?”

“You told me to stay away from you, and I have. I’ve tried.”

To her credit, she had. She’d made it a point to avoid me over the last year, fleeing a room the moment I entered, unless she was told otherwise. And every time she made herself scarce, my heart sank with the reminder that it was I who had insisted on that forced separation.

“But when I texted you today, you came. Why would you do that?”

I shook my head, flabbergasted. “I don’t—”

“If you truly wanted nothing to do with me, why would you come?”

“Jesus Christ, Analise. Are you playing games with me? What the—”

“No, answer me!” she demanded, her desperation apparent. “Please. Just tell me why.”

“Because you said you needed help,” I fired back, my voice a gruff whisper. “I thought something was wrong. I thought—”

“And you were worried about me,” she guessed, her tone softening as she looked at me with deep, dark eyes so full of hope that I wished she’d look away.

Because, fuck, in that moment, she looked so much like …

No. I thought, blinking away the image of a little girl and her stuffed rabbit. No, stop.

“And you,” I said, pointing a gloved finger at her, “are a liar.”

She sucked in a deep breath before she really did pull her hopeful gaze away as her bottom lip began to tremble. "No, I really do need help," she whispered. "They’re making me leave.”

I tipped my head with question. "What do you mean, leave?"

She sobbed then. "My mom and Gerald said that, once I’m married, it's no longer appropriate for me to stay here.”

"But this house is enormous," I said on her behalf. “Why can’t you guys just stay here?”

"That's what I said, but Gerry thinks that a married couple should have their own house, with their own family, and Mom agrees. But I thought … since Gerry and Mom like you so much, then maybe … maybe you could talk to them. Maybe they’ll listen to you and let me stay here. I need to stay here.”

As much as I appreciated her anguish, I also wanted to laugh in her face. I wanted to tell her that my father was blackmailing me, that her mother was using my body for her own pleasure simply because she could. I was as much of a pawn in their twisted game as she was, and somehow, I believed I had even less control.

Virginia had called me Gerald's pet, and if that wasn't the closest thing to the truth, I didn't know what was.

My existence on this planet had been demeaned to nothing more than a walking, talking, free-thinking dog.

I was nothing.

"They won't listen to me, Princess,” I replied with regret. "There's nothing I can do to help you. I'm sorry. Really, I am, but—"

"Please," she begged, her voice full of rage and terror. "Please, I need you to try. I need someone to try."

Try.