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“We need to talk,” Theo says, and his tone gives nothing away. He’s speaking in a low voice, his eyes gleaming but unreadable.
“I don’t want to talk,” I reply, shaking my head and turning away.
Theo catches hold of my wrist. “Well, I do.”
I turn back to face him, my face flushed and my eyes burning, and finally I step aside so he can join me in the cramped porcelain space. “What about?”
Theo shuts the door behind him, locking it, and leans against it, as handsome and composed and goddamnedrealas ever, so close and so impossibly far away.
“You and me,” Theo says.
“There’s nothing to talk about.”
“That’s not true, and you know it.”
“It is true!” I turn to face him, my chest rising and falling rapidly. The tears are back, and I look away again, unable to hold his gaze.
“Vivian,” Theo says, and the fact that he’s using my name makes me stop in my tracks. “Look at me.”
I lift my chin, meeting his eyes reluctantly, but I’m unable to stop the tears from flowing. “You heard our parents down there,” I manage finally. “They’ve been planning this for a long time. Hell, probably since before I married Lucas. Since... before...” I look away, ashamed by how obviously broken I am by this, and I can’t even get the words out. Somehow, acknowledging the affair out loud only makes it that much more devastating to know it’s being torn away from us.
“Don’t,” Theo says quietly, his voice tight. “Don’t shut me out, kid.”
“Don’t call me that,” I tell him. “Don’t make this any harder than it has to be.”
“Make what harder than it has to be?”
I press my lips together in frustration and despair. “You’re really going to make me say it?” I ask, hating how small I must sound. “We can’t... we can’t be together, Theo. You’re marrying Violet, and there’s nothing we can do about it.”
“Says who?” Theo asks, pushing off the wall and looming over me. “Your father? Mine? You think I’m going to let them make that decision for me? I’m not marrying anyone.” He reaches out to cup my face, his eyes full of determination. “You’re mine, kid,” he says, his voice low and intense. “I’m not just going to let them take you away from me.”
“What choice do you have?” I ask, my voice breaking at the feeling of his hand on my face, the sound of that possessive claim. “Your father isn’t going to give you control of the business if you don’t go through with this. You know that. And I can’t...” Reluctantly, I pull away from his touch, regretting it the instant I do. “I can’t be the reason this alliance falls apart, Theo. I’m on thin ice as it is. How much of your life would you be throwing away for me?”
“Kid—”
“You spent years working your way back up,” I interrupt, my hands balling into fists. “You can’t just give that up for me. No matter what you feel for me, Theo. I’m only going to fuck this up for you.”
But he’s already shaking his head. “You’re not, kid,” he says.
“How do youknow?” My voice is rising, and I have to fight to keep from bursting into tears again.
“Because I’m going to solve this,” he replies firmly.
“How? This isn’t a fairy tale, Theo,” I tell him, shaking my head. “There’s no happy ending here.”
I lower my gaze, ready to sidestep him and leave the bathroom, but Theo interrupts me, his voice full of conviction. “I’m going to talk to my father,” he says.
I turn back to him in disbelief. “And tell him what?” I ask, my voice trembling.
“The truth,” Theo replies simply.
I can feel the color drain from my face. “Theo, you can’t,” I protest. “Are you insane? Do you know what that would do to the alliance? And Lucas…” The thought fills me with so much dread that I can’t even finish.
“Lucas may think he can sink this alliance just by talking long enough in my father’s ear,” Theo replies. “He thinks he can get me back for interfering in your marriage. But there’s one thing he’s not expecting, and that’s for me to do some talking of my own. If I tell my father what’s happened between us, kid, I can get ahead of whatever bullshit Lucas has been feeding him about my loyalty. More importantly, I can threaten to step away from my responsibilities unless he calls off this engagement—and when I tell him this isn’t about me and him, but about me and the girl I love, he’ll understand my reasons why.” He gives a determined smile. “He may try to call my bluff, but he needs me more than he wants to admit.”
I’m ready to protest more, to cry more, to let my fear take me over and convince me that this is insane, but I can’t. I’m too stuck on the last thing he said.
“You...” I swallow hard, trying to steady my voice. “You love me?”
