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But the most prominent thought is my need to escape. I don’t want this, and this situation makes me extremely uncomfortable.
When he finally lets go and steps away from me, my lungs fill with air again, and I stare his way. This time, his dull eyes have a sparkle in them. It isn’t out of kindness or because he has a good heart. It’s excitement and wickedness and it makes me scratch my arm as a shiver runs over it. My throat feels scrappy and tight, as if I’m incapable of swallowing.
“I’m Thomas Meyer,” he says cockily, as if I’m supposed to know who he is straight away. I nod my head while trying to smile, but instead, I’m weeping inside because the picture of my life just became so much clearer.
“Frederic, my man, she’s absolutely stunning.” He starts to bellow loudly, hitting my brother on the shoulder. “We’re going to have some gorgeous babies,” Thomas says before winking my way, and my heart shrinks before I feel the weight of a stomping elephant on my chest.
I stare at the door, wondering if I could make a run for it. But instead, I look at my brother, whose face is wiped clear before he whispers something.
“Behave. You’re doing this for Mum.”
Fuck you, I mouth, consumed with rage, but even then, I don’t flip him the bird and storm out of here.
“Why don’t we sit down,” Frederic says, clearing his throat before letting Thomas pass first. I walk in the opposite direction of the table, hoping I can evade sitting next to my fiancé. But Thomas has already pulled out a chair while he waits for me to take a seat. I force a friendly smile onto my face before I march to my awaiting chair. I sit down while he pushes it forward. I act the way my mum raised me, smiling sweetly and following etiquette, but I’m dying inside and the urge to run intensifies even more when a finger touches me behind my ear before it trails over the back of my shoulder, and I freeze from the feeling. I don’t dare to move a muscle, even as another shiver runs over my spine. He needs to let me go before I tell him to keep his damn hands to himself.
Finally, Thomas drops his hand before taking the seat next to me. He shuffles his chair even closer, pushing his thigh against mine before he focuses his attention on my brother.
“Let’s cut to the deal.” Thomas breathes in deeply, before leaning back and putting both his hands on the table like some king looking down at his subjects.
What follows is the most shameful talk I’ve ever experienced in my entire life. I’ve never felt this little or insignificant. They talk about the number of parties I need to attend. They discuss how much money my brother will be entitled to when he joins Thomas’s business, which equates to the amount of money I’m worth.
They don’t ask for my opinion or what my needs are. Nothing. I’m ignored as if my voice doesn’t matter, and instead of speaking up, I watch them decide every aspect of my life. Why am I not screaming at them that I don’t want this? Because I don’t.
I don’t want to be robbed of my freedom. Let alone let some random man decide my path. It’s disgusting, and it makes my stomach turn and turn while all hope sinks to the bottom. Bloody hell, if I allow this to happen, I’ll have a life worth absolutely nothing.
Just run, Evangeline. Run.
But before I can give in to what my body tells me to do, the door opens, and Esther, our maid, walks in with a tray of glasses. One by one, she offers a drink to each of us. She approaches me, and with a pained smile, she gives me a flute. I smile her way, feeling her warmth and sympathy.
Esther reaches inside her pocket before she gives me a small envelope. A bird in a cage is drawn on the top in pencil.
“This came for you.”
“Who’s it from?” Frederic asks. I look up quickly before lying through my teeth.
“Topper.” I turn to look at Thomas. He’s frowning, a question clearly on his mind. “A friend of mine,” I clarify, and he slowly nods before he and my brother fall back into a conversation about my duty as a fiancée.
My finger runs over the beautifully drawn image on the front. I wonder who sent it. I flip open the card, before closing it in a matter of seconds, as if I read some dirty secret. My heart starts to race once more, but this time, it’s not out of fear, but from a surge of confidence.
I slowly open it again while making sure Thomas can’t read it.
Princess,
If everything turns dark and that strength seems to disappear, call me, and for once I’ll be your knight in shining armour.
-C
A number is scribbled down underneath the little message. My heart skips a beat while I read it again. I breathe in deeply for the first time that night and my heart fills with hope again. But it’s more than hope that wakes me up from deep inside… it’s the feeling that I’m not alone.
That Chester didn’t close the door on me forever.
The note is enough to push through on my initial idea to run out of here. I grab my phone out of my beige, silk pants. I type in the number before writing a text straight away.
Evangeline: Meet me in front of my house in 10. Don’t ring the bell. – E
C: Sure thing, princess.
His text pops up instantly, and a real smile transforms my face for the first time today. I grab my glass before I slowly down it in one go. Thomas and my brother are far too occupied with their business talk anyway. But then my fiancé says something that makes me turn my head in his direction.
