Page 32 of Forbidden Forget-Me-Not

I shook my head.

“Never. I’ve loved you for years. I could never regret it. But I don’t know how to get us out of the weeds we’re tangled in. The only thing that makes sense is for me to publicly say I’m leaving the family.”

Goran sat back and crossed his arms. “Lani…”

“Don’t say it won’t work,” I bit out.

“Fine. I won’t say it.”

Goran stared at me, the silence stretching between us. Frustrated, I stood and moved to the furthest corner, but no matter how far I went, his words still clung to me.

“Ugh…why won’t it work?” I caved, needing to know what he was thinking. Over the past year, Goran had become my voice of reason. Even when no one else could get me to see straight, he could.

“I’ll give you two names. The first one is Helena. The second is Atlas.”

I cringed. He was right. My father would never punish me directly. He’d bleed me through the things I loved.

“You know as well as I do that you might still see your mother, but it won’t be the same. Your father will make it a living hell for both of you. And you can kiss Atlas goodbye, because he will not continue to support you if you denounce his name and humiliate him. Daughter or not.”

I closed my eyes. Suddenly, Goran was behind me, his warmth soothing as he wrapped his arms around me.

“Then what do we do?”

“I think it’s time I spoke to Nathaniel.”

I locked eyes with his reflection in the glass. “But what if he fires you…or worse?”

“Then he does.”

I turned in his arms, holding him tight.

“I could never live with myself if he did something to you. I should be the one to tell him.

Goran shook his head.

“No. This is a conversation between him and me. I never should’ve kept my feelings for you from him in the first place. Now…well, it’s time. With his support, we might actually survive your father.”

“I wish I could say I’m sorry for getting you into this, but I’m not.”

He smirked and kissed me softly. “Do you want to have a bath and relax?”

“Are you going to join me?” I purred, brushing my lips along his jaw.

“I could be persuaded,” Goran teased, his hazel eyes lighting up and making me warm all over.

“Then give me the grand tour.”

I linked our fingers, my heart smiling as he nodded and led me through his home.

Yes, it was small. But it was beautiful. Perfectly him. And I loved that.

Could it be enough? Could I give up my name? Could I give up my dream, my family, for him?

I wanted to scream yes in the face of everyone who would dare question me. But Goran was right…I stood to lose more than money and fame.

I’d always known power came with a price. It demanded obedience, silence, and blood.

Choosing Goran marked me as something my father would never accept. Something he would never stop trying to destroy. Only now did I fully understand the weight of that choice, and how many lives it could destroy before it was done.