Page 90 of Forbidden Forget-Me-Not

The irony of this moment hit like a fist to the face.

“Bring him to me.” He paused, his eyes narrowing. “Or remove him from the equation altogether.”

“To be clear, you are telling me to remove this person permanently?”

“Yes. Only if they are not worthy of my daughter.”

I cocked my brow. “You want me to make that judgement call?”

“Goran, do not speak to me with the same tone my son uses. You are not Nathaniel.” He rolled his shoulders. “Do as you’re instructed.”

My jaw ticked as I clenched it, but inclined my head slightly.

“Understood.” Was what I said. Fuck you, was what I wanted to say.

Dimitri’s phone rang. He checked the screen and dismissed me with a flick of his fingers before answering.

I stepped out of the office, closing the door behind me. The hallway suddenly felt smaller. He suspected a stranger. Or at least he made it seem that way. You never really knew with Dimitri.

He had just tasked me with my own execution. A warning, perhaps. A threat, maybe.

I could pretend to hunt myself for her father.

I would kill anyone who looked to harm Kaylani.

But I could never be the reason she lost her dream, the one thing that kept her heart beating and her soul free.

Chapter

Twenty-Six

KAYLANI

Mom hooked her arm with mine and guided me toward my room before I could run out the front door. As soon as we were alone, she went to my bed, grabbed a pillow, and handed it to me.

“Scream. Punch it. Do whatever you need to do. Then we’ll talk.”

I took it and pressed it to my face, screaming into it over and over as tears soaked the pillowcase. Releasing all the pent-up emotion was cathartic, but it also made me want to crawl under the covers like I had as a child after a bad dream and stay there.

When I had nothing left, I hugged the pillow to my chest and sat on the edge of my bed.

Mom joined me and stayed quiet for a long time before patting my leg.

“There are so many things I wish. Most of all, I wish your father would listen. He is driving this family into the ground because of his ego.”

I wiped the tears from my face and leaned into her warmth as she wrapped her arms around me.

“What am I going to do?”

“I understand that you want your freedom and the right to choose your future, but this feels like more. What’s going on?”

I stood and wandered over to the window overlooking the backyard. Staring out, I couldn’t help but think back.

No one knew I was here. Mom and Dad were away for the week, and I was supposed to be at my friend Kimmy’s house. But Kimmy wasn’t feeling well, so her mom brought me home early.

I told her I would be fine. I was fourteen, and the house was always full of guards and my annoying brothers. It wasn’t like I was in any danger.

It was relaxing lying on my bed, reading and listening to music, but then I heard a noise outside. I stood to look out the window and found a party in my backyard.