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My sister leaned back against her husband’s chest, her gaze observing me with an acute focus. “No, we can’t just drop it, Rhys. You keep making decisions that seem to harm any progress you’ve made. You’re in a high-profile program and that’s great. But you don’t have any friends. You never come to family dinners unless Mom all but begs you and now, you’re giving up the one relationship that was good for you? I don’t understand. None of us do.”
I bit my tongue because lashing out would only cement what they thought they knew. Liam moved to my side, letting me know that he was here with me but that he couldn’t speak for me. His words would fall just as flat because, for some reason, Mom didn’t believe either of us when it came to most things. She didn’t believe Liam when he said he was getting married—not that she was against it, just that she didn’t believe he had fallen for someone when she hadn’t been aware. It only got worse when she wasn’t invited to the wedding, although relations had since calmed down between them.
I leaned forward a little to catch Dad’s take on all this but he was blissfully in his own little world as he always was. He hated the politics of the family and only put his two cents in as long as it aligned with whatever Mom had already said. There was no way out of this other than to let them have a glimpse of what was truly going on.
“None of you would understand because I haven’t told you.” I took a deep breath, fumbling for the right words until I resolved to just tell them the truth. What was the use in continuing to lie about it? Yet another thing my therapist begged me to try—honest emotions. No one could understand me if I didn’t give them a reason to. “You’re not the one he was dating. You didn’t see everything. Sure, he made me happy and for a while, that’s all I wanted. But I soon realized that wasn’t enough. Love isn’t enough. Not when it means I’m hiding in my goddamn room, cowering in the closet while some stranger bangs on the front door, yelling for my fiancé. I never knew where that fucker was. He was always justout. And then when he came back? I was ignored. He was always working, working forus. He said he was a professor but I don’t remember the last time a professor walked into the house at 2 a.m. with bruises on his collarbone and blood dripping from his forehead.”
Tears traveled down my cheeks as I sucked in a breath and choked on it, my entire body thrumming with energy as I stepped away from the counter. The knife clattered to the marble as I tried to get a hold of myself, memories filtering into my head, reminding me of moments I would have rather kept stuffed away. My family had never seen me like this—in full panic mode. I had kept everything under lock and key but now, they were seeing the raw emotions and they had no idea how to handle it.
Liam tugged me against his chest as I spilled the rest of my explanation, needing them to understand how terrible of a human being Owen truly was. If I merely pulled down my collar, they’d get a very different glimpse but I wasn’t ready for that conversation yet. “You know the worst part?” I whispered, smacking my hand across my cheeks to catch the tears. “The absolute worst part was the lies. I’m sure I could have turned a blind eye to everything else but the lies? There were justso many.”
I dealt with numbers every day. They didn’t lie. People lied, though, and I hated it.
Ada pushed up from her seat, that pitied expression I hated so much plastered on her face. “Rhys, you should have tried-”
I cut her off, holding up a hand out to stop her approach as I twisted around. “No more advice. You’re in a loving relationship and I love that for you. I do. But you all don’t get to comment on the lack of my love life under the disguise ofhelping.Mom, it was lovely to see you.” I wriggled out of Liam’s hold and kissed my mother on her cheek, the woman too shocked to return the gesture as I headed into the living room to make my departure.
Ignoring her pleas for me to stay, I ripped open the front door, relishing the brisk night air that chafed against my cheeks.It’s just another evening,I told myself, my fingers immediately dipping into my pocket to grab Fibo. Curling up on my couch with liquor, sugar, and a terrible 80s movie sounded like a much better time than staying here with people who didn’t understand.
I should have said goodbye to Tia, but I couldn’t have her seeing me like this.
Liam and Ada rushed after me, Ada catching up with me moments before I slid into my car. “You’re a fucking child, Rhys. Stop thinking with your emotions and just talk to us. I’m sure that Owen-”
I twisted around, narrowing my gaze at my sister. There were so many things I wanted to say to her. I wanted to blow up at her, to truly make her understand the horrors I had experienced over the last few months. Instead, I stood there like an idiot, one hand in my pocket, the other fisted at my side. Liam stepped up and squeezed Ada’s shoulder, trying to keep her from crowding my space. “Step off, sis. He broke up with Owen and that’s that, alright?”
Ada shook off Liam’s hand. This conversation was far from over for some godforsaken reason that I couldn’t fathom. “Why can’t you just believe that this is for the best?” I asked again.
“Because he made you so fucking happy!”
Even after I told them Owen hurt me. That he abused me. That he fucking terrified me in my own house. Shestillwanted me to take him back. My breathing quickened but I would not fall apart in front of this woman I shared blood with. “I’m not taking him back, Ada.”
She opened her mouth to say something else when Liam stepped in and said the words I was hoping to keep silent. “Owen is an abusive asshole, which is why Rhys has a restraining order against him. There will be no ‘bringing back Owen’, Ada. He’s not welcome in Rhys’ life and definitely not in mine.”
Ada scoffed, “That’sexcessive.”
She wouldn’t listen. She never did. So, I did the one thing I was regretting. I slowly pulled down my collar to show off the healing bruise, her eyes widening. She gasped, stepping back in horror but for once, I was glad to put that expression on her face. “Thisis why he’s not allowed near me.”
“He would never! Owen-”
I refused to listen to her anymore, especially because with each word that came from her vile mouth, it seemed like she knew my ex-fiancé. Personally. And I didn’t like the feelings building up in my chest at the idea that she approved of him for other than reasons than the faux personality he showed when he was at the house.
Slipping into the car without another word, I turned the key, ignoring her harsh stare as my music immediately blared through the stereo and I peeled out of the driveway. Free from the stifling aura that was the Knight’s residence, I sped off toward my next destination.
The liquor store.
It had better be open because I needed to drown today in the devil’s juice.
Chapter seven
RHYS
Liam ensured that I was alive while Mom tried calling three times before I made it back home, two bottles of whiskey and some cotton candy-flavored tequila tucked in one arm and a dozen glazed raspberry danishes in the other. My biggest craving was also my biggest vice—sugar. However, I was going to milk my insanely fast metabolism until I couldn’t anymore. Owen always hated the fact that I was nibbling on something or at least trying to. He just didn’t know that it was also a way to distract myself.
Like sure, the sugar wasfantasticbut it didn’t produce the same kind of endorphins as sex did. I craved physical touch so much that it hurt and having Gianni in my bed earlier today had only made it worse. With Owen, he was more of a quality time guy where quality time included being in the same general area but not speaking. Or touching. Or even doing the same activity. I couldn’t remember the last time I spent actual time with Owen before I kicked him out of my house.
And now? I was starved of my needs while avoiding the issue with sweets and booze.
Another very healthy adult response, right?
