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I didn’t have shit else to say.
I was done with the back and forth, at least for now.
I just nodded, and he must’ve gotten the hint, because he walked away. But just before he left, he stopped in the doorway to the bathroom.
“Don’t forget, your dress appointment is at ten.”
* * *
Tears didn’t come easilyfor me.
Not that Ididn’tcry. I certainly did, usually out of mixed emotions.
The recipe always included rage.
What I hated was knowing I’d feelsomuch better if I just let it all out, just let the damn tears fall, instead of keeping the emotions boxed up inside. I hated when I wanted to cry, but just…couldn’t.
Like now.
It had already been an emotional morning, with anger edging out shock as I put out the appropriate feelers to find out exactly what my father had been up to. Instead of using my morning towork, as planned, I was busy unraveling this web of…duplicity… that was outright foolish.
I had to come to the conclusion that he simply didn’t care if he got found out, which led me to believe he wasn’t actually trying to sell.
Or rather, thatsellingwasn’t what mattered.
The cruelty was the point.
Instead of causing any confrontation, I just called my brother and had him decommission William Stark’s access badge.
He was no longer welcome in the building.
Now, whether or not that wouldkeep him out… chances were right about fifty-fifty.
But it would cause him enough hassle to send a clear message.
For shits and giggles, I had him decommission Alan’s too.
Not just access to the building, but access to our online systems and the bank accounts. I could probably get in trouble for it, since this was every bit ofunofficial, but at this point… I didn’t give a fuck anymore.
Sue me.
I had a billion dollars behind me to buy my way out of misbehavior now.
Zeroregrets.
And yet, the nagging urge to cry about it all remained, undoubtedly bolstered by the fact that I was sitting alone in a private waiting area at Freeman’s Bridal, waiting for my personal sales associate to come back.
I’d already knocked back one glass of the complimentary champagne and was eyeing another. I hadn’t looked at a single dress yet and it was already feeling like something I’d need to be half-drunk to get through.
Especially alone.
I closed my eyes, letting out what I intended to be a deep, cleansing breath.
Instead, I just felt even more frustrated.
It wasn’t supposed to be like this.
As much as I tried to shake the thought from my mind, it just kept playing, again and again. It wasn’t supposed to be like this, and if my mother was alive, it for damn sure wouldn’t be like this.
