AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I put my head in my hands and close my eyes again, feeling exhaustion creep over me.
I sigh and let the darkness claim me.
When I wake, it’s hours later and the middle of the day. The sun is shining and the blue sky outside should make me feel better but it makes me feel worse.
I pull out my computer and open it, pulling up the records for the business. I have access to all of it and I don’t know if Carter has forgotten that or not but the trail of bread crumbs to where he embezzled money from our company is pathetically easy to follow. I make screenshots of each one of the relevant entries because I don’t trust Carter not to mess with them before I can get them to the relevant authorities.
Then the captain calls over the speakers and we’re coming in and there are my parents, smiling and attempting to hug me. I don’t fight them but I don’t hug them back either.
I’m dead inside.
“I’m glad you came to your senses, Onyx. Carter was very patient with your little trip but he wants to get married right away.”
I nod my head like I actually am agreeing to this craziness. They grab my bags and then hustle me out to the limo. One push and I’m sitting in the back of it with both of them sitting across from me and muttering about the way I look.
“What the hell are you wearing?” My dad says, his narrowed eyes locked on my soft, off-shoulder dress.
“I’m wearing a dress.” I don’t bother looking at them, just stare out the window.
“That’s not a suitable dress. Look at the way it doesn’t cover your shoulders. Carter is not going to like it at all.”
I growl. “I do not give ashitwhat Carter likes.”
“Onyx!”My mother glares at me. “That is not proper language. And Carter has been very patient considering we told him last year that he could marry you.”
“I’m not marrying him.” I don’t bother anything beyond that sentence. Both of them study me and then shrug their shoulders.
I know them. They think this is some strange aberration of mine. I’ve spent my whole life making them happy. I don’t argue with them and I sure as hell don’t say no.
“Let’s go home. I know that you’ll feel better once you see Carter.”
I shove that down and sit back in my seat, ignoring my parent’s twittering over the fact that I’m slumped back in the seat.
We arrive at my parents’ home and I shut down. I slip out the door on my own and walk up to the door, shoving it open.
Only to find Carter’s smug face standing in the hallway.
I jerk back and glare at my parents. “This doesn’t change what I said.”
I push past him and ignore his loud yells for me to stop.
“I’ve got nothing to say tonight. I will talk to you people in the morning.”
And I stomp off up the stairs and ignore the lock turning in the heavy door when I stop over the threshold and close it.
No surprises there. I’ve certainly been locked in my room before.
I glance around me, surprised to see that my things don’t feel the same.
That everything seems different somehow.
I curl up in the bed and don’t even bother covering up or taking off my fancy boots.
I just close my eyes and let myself drift off, desperately needing peace and quiet, my eyes full of my last look at Merrick in the bed sleeping.
Crying softly, I hug my pillow to me and wish for something to be different. Hope that he trusts me.
Hope that when I fix this mess he still loves me. Like I love him.
