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“I’m no princess,” I bite out, only to earn myself a surround sound chuckle from both men. I’m out of my depth. I thought by coming here I would need to learn who Finn is, but now there’s someone else, Jarred. Even though they’ve not given me any indication of their relationship, I have a feeling there’s more to it than just platonic mates.
“No,” Finn finally agrees. “You’re not.” He straightens, as if cold water had been sluiced over him. The moment is gone and he steps back. “Go to your room.” The order is clear. I don’t argue that he can’t make me do something, because it’s what I wanted. My feet carry me out of the greenhouse and into the living room within seconds. My breathing is ragged and my pulse is rioting.
I don’t take in the rest of the house; I rush up the steps and to my bedroom, where I shut the door behind me and lean back against the wood. When I blink, tears fall, streaming down my cheeks as the salty emotion burns its way down.
I head for my bed and flop onto the soft mattress. I pull out my phone and find a message from my mother, telling me to behave and to not cause any problems. She would say something like that. When I open my social media apps, all I see are the ugly words that are spewed at me daily. With over two million followers, you’d think that I wouldn’t see the negative, but they stand out more than the sweet, kind words.
The last picture I posted was of Thorne Haven. As the town came into view, I knew I needed to document it. Now that they know I’m about to be married to one of the wealthiest bachelors in the country, the abuse has only doubled, tripled. There are more vile words and comments than ever before.
I scroll through them and allow my sadness to take over once more. I wish I could forget. Numb the pain and stop the hate. One comment pops up and glares at me. It’s a rumor. My father killed himself, but the press didn’t report it as suicide. They spoke about how sad it was that such a prolific man could suffer a heart attack at such a young age. And it’s true, at forty-eight, I suppose he was young.
But the comment in question has my heart halting all beats.
Do you think he killed himself to get away from you?
I’m not sure why someone would say that. Yes, they have been rather mean over the years, but this has taken it to a whole new level. There’s also a message in my inbox, but I’m too afraid to open it.
When I tap on the Inbox, I notice it’s not from Finn. My heart sinks. It’s stupid, but even though he’s acting like a world-class dick, I can’t deny I’m attracted to him. Any woman with eyes would be. And I’m the lucky girl who’s supposed to walk down the aisle and say I do.
My attention is brought back to the screen, and I hover my thumb over the message. But I can’t bring myself to open it. The name is the same as the person who made the comment. I don’t want to know what they do. I don’t want to allow their accusations to hurt me. Even though I’ve already seen their comment, I’d rather not know what they said privately.
I shut down my phone without responding to my mother. I can’t bring myself to want to speak to her just yet. There is no doubt that after a few days of silence, she’ll call, but that is a chance I’m willing to take.
At this stage, all I want to do his curl into a ball and have the ground swallow me up. Maybe that’s how my dad felt. Maybe life had become too much for him and he needed an escape. Perhaps, it was the only solution and he chose the quickest way out.
With that one thought in my mind, I settle in and hope that I can sleep tonight. A dreamless rest.
9
ZARIA
The Past
Loneliness.
The absence of love and happiness brings about the onset of pain, of heartbreak, and of anger. I didn’t think I would ever feel so alone while being surrounded by so many people. The sound of the piano downstairs makes me smile because I know my father is in one of his moods. The soft tinkling filtering through the enormous house.
Every birthday, he’s done this. Now that I’m sixteen, a teenager and slowly growing up before his very eyes, he told me that I will always be his little girl. Even though I’m already planning my future, where I’ll be going to college, Dad says that no amount of plans will ever change how he sees me.
