I said nothing.
Her lips lifted in a half-smile. “Honey, that’s the only reason she’s still alive.”
I shook my head. “You don’t understand! I’m the reason she’s in this mess. If her brothers arranged this… it was because her father was out of the picture. I should have never taken that job.”
A shuffling in the hallway had us both pausing. Poppy stood there in her pajamas and a robe. My heart stuttered. “What job?”
I scowled at my mother. Had she known Poppy was there? “A mistake.”
Poppy padded over to the fridge, but I could see the gears turning in her head. She was going to catch on. How she hadn’t yet was beyond me. She was too smart.
My mother pivoted like she always did. “Are the both of you coming to Audrey and Alexei’sHoney Doshower this weekend?”
Poppy’s eyes got big. “I completely forgot about it with everything going on.”
I let out an unintelligible grumble. I didn’t want to go to it, but now that I was living with my mother, there was no getting out of it.
Mother patted Poppy’s hand. “I would love to meet your lucky fiancé; you should invite him to come alone.”
Poppy looked at me nervously from under her lashes. “I don’t know if that’s such a good idea.”
Mother shook her head. “Nonsense. I think it will be perfect.”
Perfect.
The word ricocheted through my chest like a bullet.
Poppy forced a polite smile, but I saw the way her fingers curled around the fridge handle.
“I don’t think Donovan—” she started.
My mother tutted. “If you are to be married, he should meet your circle. I imagine he’ll enjoy showing you off.”
Poppy’s eyes flicked to me. It was quick, but I caught it. A silent, desperate question:Can we survive that? Can he?
I cleared my throat, stepping closer. “It’s not a good idea.”
My mother arched a brow. “Why? Because you don’t like him?”
No. Because I wanted to put him in the ground.
Poppy’s fingers trembled as she reached for a bottle of water. “Ivan’s right. Donovan doesn’t like surprises. And I don’t want to make him angry.”
The air changed.
My mother stilled. Her expression softened in a way that meant danger. “Angry,” she repeated, voice deceptively light. “Does he get angry with you often?”
Poppy blinked, startled. “No—no. I just mean he likes things scheduled. He’s very busy. I have my own assistant to help plan things with his…”
Mother’s wide-eyed gaze caught mine like she couldn’t believe what she was hearing. “I mean, I knew that he liked you on a tight schedule. You always have something going on, but I didn’t think it was like that.”
My hands curled into fists.
“Mother,” I warned. Poppy took a sip out of her waterand gave us both a polite smile before she disappeared down the hallway and retreated back to her own room.
I pinched the bridge of my nose. “You didn’t have to scare her off like that.”
My mother’s eyes flashed. “Scare her off? Has he put his hands on her before?”
