Where is this coming from all of a sudden?
He was my escape. It’s as if he’s failed me now.
“I tried,” he protests weakly, but even he doesn’t seem convinced by his own words.
“And nowI’mtrying.I’mready to step up for you,” I counter. “You wanted me here, you wanted my help. So take it.” I reach out, grabbing his arm, willing him to understand.
August’s expression softens, and for a moment, I see a glimpse of the brother I used to know. “Meelie?—”
Before he can finish, Father’s voice booms down the hallway, calling for him, the sound making me flinch involuntarily.
August reaches out, squeezing my shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he says, heavy with regret. “For everything. And for this.”
He lets go of my shoulder, loosening my hold on his arm. Then he turns, and the click of his polished shoes on the marble floor echoes in my ears, each step taking him farther away from me and what I’m offering.
I stand there, trembling from all the pent-up emotions that just burst out of me, feeling utterly alone. My heart aches with pain so sharp it’s almost physical, and I’m about to retreat into myself when Daniel’s voice startles me out of my thoughts.
“Time’s ticking,” he says, amusement dancing in his eyes, though something darker lingers beneath it, making my skin crawl.
I whirl around to face him. “What do you want, Daniel?” The words come out brittle with raw emotion.
He laughs, stepping closer, invading my personal space with a confidence that borders on arrogance. “I just wanted to check on you. That sounded bad.”
“Thatwas a private conversation,” I say, taking a step back, but he just follows until my back is to the wall.
“It was pretty in the open for being private,” he murmurs, his body so close to mine I can feel the heat radiating from him. “You know, we could end that problem in an instant. Just say yes so we can get out of this fucking charade.”
“Myyeswould only start that charade,” I hiss.
“One you obviously would have some gains from too.” He chuckles, nodding in the direction August walked off. Then his hand reaches out, grasping my chin firmly to make me look at him again, his touch invasive.
I push his hand away, disgust rising in my throat like bile. “Don’t touch me.” But Daniel doesn’t back down. Instead, he moves even closer, effectively trapping me against the wall likea butterfly pinned to a board. My heart races, panic rising in my chest, threatening to choke me. “Let me out.”
“God, you’re beautiful like this.” He smirks, a smile playing on his lips when I narrow my eyes. “You’re overreacting, darling. Don’t make a scene, Mummy wouldn’t approve.”
That’s even more reason to make one.
“Step back,” I hiss, pushing my hands against his chest, but he doesn’t budge.
“Or what?” Daniel challenges with amusement, leaning in closer, his breath hot on my face.
The next second, he’s ripped away from me with such force that I gasp. Oliver appears out of nowhere, hair polished and dressed in a black suit, but that doesn’t stop him from slamming Daniel against the wall next to me and holding him there with a forearm on his throat. The hatred in Oliver’s eyes is something I’ve never seen before, and his jaw is clenched so tight I fear his teeth might shatter.
The sight triggers a brief flash of Oliver pinning Hendricks down in my apartment after the attack, and the anxiety I felt then from having been robbed surges up to mix with my fear now, even if my rational brain knows that Oliver will make sure I’m fine.
“Or…”Grey’s cold voice cuts through the tension as he steps up to us, looking dashing as well. “Oliver’s going to kick your pompous ass.”
They’regoing to make sure I’m fine.
Relief washes over me in a dizzying wave, but it’s quickly replaced by an overwhelming tide of shame that threatens to drown me. I can’t stand to see the concern in Oliver’s eyes or the smug defiance in Daniel’s. Without a word, I flee across the hallway into the large guest bathroom, ripping the door open before slamming it shut with more force than necessary, fumbling with the lock until I hear it click.
My legs give out like they’re made of jelly, and I slide down the door, my back pressed against it as if I could melt into the wood itself. My hands find the back of my head, gripping my hair tightly, pulling until it hurts.
There’s a ringing in my ears, high-pitched and insistent, drowning out everything else. I squeeze my eyes shut, trying to block out the world, to disappear into the darkness behind my eyelids.
Shit.
What the fuck am I supposed to do now?
