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Before I can ask him what he meant, the brunette from earlier today comes bouncing down the hallway and into Conrad’s arms, wrapping her long arms around his neck. She’s smiling at him as if they have been friends for years, yet I have never seen her before.
“There’s my hubby,” she announces in her high-pitched voice right before pulling him into a forceful kiss.
Everything around me freezes. The voices and loud music around me disappear as I digest the words that just came out of this stranger’s mouth.
Hubby. As inhusband?
Surely she cannot mean what I think she means. But as Conrad pulls away from her and I see the regret on his face as he looks over at me, I know there has to be some truth to what she said. Bile rises in my throat, and I turn and run in the opposite direction before I do something stupid like projectile vomiting all over the happy couple.
15
CONRAD
Watching Emree as she fights her way through the sea of bodies down the hallway, away from me and toward her fucking date, about kills me. Following her into the bathroom was a dumb move, and practically dry-humping her was even worse, but my body moved of its own accord the moment I saw her step away from him and walk off into the crowd of people.
Having her body up against mine again and feeling her soft, plump lips molded against my own was pure heaven on earth until the realization that this was not the woman I was allowed to have hit me when she told me I needed to let her go. I heard the double meaning in her words, even though I didn’t want to listen to them.
“Whatthe fuckare you doing here?” I hiss at Liliana and try to pry her body off of mine.
Having the woman I am being forced to marry show up and call mehubbyaround everyone, especially Emree, is less than desirable. The moment I heard her voice, my stomach sank, and I could feel my heart pounding inside my chest. Of all the ways I thought of Emree finding out about Liliana, this is the worst. While I wasn’t able to see her face since Liliana decided to maul me, I could only imagine the shock and pain that would be etched there.
Liliana pulls back but keeps her hands wrapped around my neck. “What are you talking about, sweetie?”
Clearly, the irritation in my voice goes unnoticed, or she chooses to ignore it. “Why are you here, Liliana?” I don’t mean to sound like a dick, but my annoyance is at an all-time high at the moment.
She pouts. “We’re supposed to be getting to know each other, silly. How do you expect us to be engaged by the end of summer if you’re so resistant to being around me?”
This is not the conversation I want to be having in a jam-packed hallway filled with drunk college students. Detangling her arms from around my neck, I separate us but keep a firm grip on her upper arm. “This wasn’t part of the plan,” I hiss at her. “My school and family life are detached for a reason. I don’t need people to be asking fucking questions, Liliana.”
She tilts her head to the side, arching a perfectly sculpted eyebrow. “That isn’t what I agreed to when I said I would do this. There is no way I’m going to be sitting in a hotel room, bored out of my mind, every day.” Liliana’s voice is low, and she maintains a perfect smile the entire time as if we are having a casual conversation. “I’m not even getting good sex out of this,” she huffs.
This isn’t the first time she has brought up sex, and it is starting to get on my nerves. “You came here to get to know me before our engagement, not the people around me. We will meet outside of my school life. They stay out of all this bullshit.”
Liliana’s hands slide down my chest and lower. She grips the waist of my shorts and tugs. “If you don’t want me around your friends, then I’m going to need something to…occupy my time with.”
My nostrils flare. “Get your handsoffme.” Gripping her wrists, I pull her away. “You’re drawing attention. Attention Ido notwant. I’m leaving and I suggest you go back to your hotel. We can talk about your boredom in the morning.”
Liliana’s eyes widen as I tighten my grip, but she maintains her artificial smile. “Sounds like I’ll be having a night in. Again.”
Sliding out of my grip, Liliana turns without another word and disappears into the abyss of people.
Filling my lungs, I take my first deep breath since Emree ran off. My chest tightens at the thought of her. She probably ran into the arms of her fucking date, and I had to let her go. These stupid family obligations are starting to suffocate me, and I feel helpless when it comes to my life.
Sometimes I wish I were born into a different family. One that lets me lead my own life and make decisions that are best for myself, not them.
“You’re in deep shit, man,” someone says behind me. Looking over my shoulder, I see Camden leaning casually against the wall beside the bathroom door.
“How long have you been standing there?” I ask him after turning around.
He shrugs. “Long enough to see you fuck up even more than you already have.”
Blowing out a breath, I rest my hands on my hips and try to calm myself down. “My life is messed up, man. I can’t keep doing this.”
Sympathy marks Camden’s face for the first time since he found out about the arranged marriage. “Why don’t you just tell your dad you can’t do this?”
A laugh rumbles through my chest. “You’ve never met my parents, but the day I go against Howard Dugray is the day I can say goodbye to everything. He would disown me so fast.”
“Would you rather have a life where you’re free to do what you want or a life of more money than you could ever need?”
