He sighs, running a hand through his hair, a gesture so familiar it makes my heart ache. “With my wife threatening me with divorce? It’s… complicated.”
“You said you didn’t cheat. Is there anybody else? For you? For her?”
“No, never. You know there was only ever her. Love isn’t the problem.”
“What is, then?”
“Father’s pushing me to take over the firm.”
I spin around so quickly I almost topple off the chair, shock coursing through me. “What? But you always said?—”
“I know what I said, Meelie,” he cuts me off, using the childhood nickname that only he can get away with. “But things changed when you left. They got worse.”
WhenIleft?
Guilt gnaws at my insides. “You can’t just give up your dreams,” I plead, my throat tightening. “What aboutenvironmental law? All those plans you had? Fighting the companies Father represents?”
That’s all he ever wanted. All he ever talked about.
“You sound just like Abigail. She said she couldn’t stand by while I sold my soul, my principles.” His laugh is hollow, echoing through the room. “As if I hadn’t tried. You know how they are. It’s not that simple. He could take away everything. The house, the private school, and the trust funds for the girls. And then he could easily make sure I would never get work anywhere else again.”
“I bet Abigail doesn’t care about that.”
“She doesn’t, but I do! Amelia, I don’t want my family to suffer. And I know they would.Youknow they would. He would make our life hell.”
Yes, I understand that all too well.
Itiscomplicated.
It’s that type of influence, that magnitude of power, that defies explanation. Like a fish trapped in a net, and even once you escape, you find yourself within their glass bowl.
August had wanted to use his degree and his wealth for good. He wanted to protect the trails we hiked, the nature he loves so much. Abigail is cut from the same cloth, instilling those same values in their daughters. It’s no wonder she can’t just stand by while he betrays everything he ever stood for.
Father is going to ruin August’s life.
He’s already well on his way.
And it’s all because when I left, he slipped back under their scrutiny.
It’s all my fault.
What does my freedom mean if it only brings agony to the one person who matters to me?
A flicker of emotion stirs in my stomach, eerily similar to what thinking about the three men I left behind always feels like. But I push it away.
The only person who matters to menow.
Liar.
I turn back to the mirror, my fingers working through a particularly stubborn knot, using the pain to ground myself. “Maybe it is,” I say softly, the words barely audible. “Maybe… maybe I could come back.”
August’s head snaps up, his eyes wide. “You know I’m thrilled you’re here, Meelie, but?—”
“What’s left for me in Seattle?” I interrupt, the words barely above a whisper, raw and vulnerable. “The guys… they’re done with me. My work is gone. Everything I built there is over. I haven’t even told my boss that I’m not coming in. I’m probably already fired.” I meet his gaze in the mirror, seeing my own pain reflected back at me. “If I come back, take the path they always wanted for me… maybe I can save you from it.”
“You’re not a lawyer. You can’t take over the firm. And even if you were, he would never let a woman take it,” August spits, disgust clear in his expression.
“I could find a way. I could?—”
