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“I know,” she grins, making me wonder if she bribed the librarian not to let me order the books so she could get them for me.
But no, my sister doesn’t even have access to the high school library.
“You can just buy whatever book you want, sweetheart,” my mother reminds me, a little surprised.
I shrug. “I like to save my allowance.”
I’ve never known what for exactly, but I love to see the money accumulate in my account. I buy things, but I rarely splurge before considering a purchase a few times.
“You can always ask for more for books,” Dad chimes in.
“Hear that, boy? Your future wife is thrifty, too,” the duke says, patting his son’s shoulder like he’s won a prize.
I fake a laugh now.
Thankfully birthdays are busy. There’s cake, and then a little champagne, and more cake. No one questions why I don’t interact with Less. Why would they? I never interact with him.
At long last, my grandmother has to go, and the crowd starts thinning. Bella goes to her room with her friends. I’m glad to see the duke and my father walk toward the cigar room where they like to chat with a whiskey after dinner.
“I have something to ask,” I whisper to my mother. “Can you come with me?”
She frowns, surprised, but I just take her hand and lead her to the man cave, before I can change my mind.
On my way, I grab the box with the diadem. I can’t keep that.
I can’t keep anything.
I blurt out everything I can to make them free me. I try to stick to logic. No, I won’t regret it. I’m doing both of us a favor. I don’t like him. He doesn’t like me.
I don’t tell them he was my first love, the reason I smiled so many days, and that I dreamed about our wedding day since the day they gave him to me five years ago.
That’s just the thing with Alessandro. He’ll only belong to someone when he gives himself to her. And that someone will never be me.
They accept. Just like that, my future has been rewritten.
For the worse.
TEN
Ivy
When I leave the parents to talk in the cigar room, I’d like to say I feel better, but I’ve reached my quota of emotion for the day, so I’m numb.
I tell myself the heaviness clogging my throat isn’t regret. I’m certainly not about to sob.
It needed to be done.
I make my way to my bedroom, my eyes fixed on the box in my hand. They didn’t want me to return the diadem. I tried. I don’t need a reminder. I just need to move on with my life, and forget Less was ever supposed to be a part of it. It shouldn’t be too hard; he’s never remembered that.
I’ve hardly shut the door behind me when something knocks me against it, hard. My head hits the carved wood as I’m shoved back.
“What thehelldo you think you’re doing?” Less growls and whispers all at once.
I blink several times. Firstly because, unless I’m hallucinating, he’s here. In my room. Only this isn’t quite the Alessandro I’ve known. Not even the one I thought I saw a glimpse of earlier that day while he smiled when that girl sucked him in front of me.
This one is pure, unrestrained rage. He’s pinning me against the wall with his forearm against my throat, and he’s grabbed my wrist, making the priceless diadem fall to the floor.
“You’re hurting me,” I say.
