Page 6 of Forbidden Love

“You will not make a scene here tonight, Clark. If you do, Kally will suffer for it,” my father says.

I look over my shoulder, my heart pounding in my chest. I know how evil he can be. I know he won’t make this easy for her, and he will make her suffer because of me.

“I want five minutes alone with Kally, and then I’ll leave.”

My mother and father nod to everyone and they leave the room one by one. Colton kisses the side of Kally’s head, making her reel backward. I want to stick a knife through his heart and watch the life drain away from him. For the first time in my life, I think I might have some of my father’s blood in me after all.

“I’ll wait outside for you, bro,” says Damien.

I take his hand in mine and offer him a ‘welcome home’. I haven’t seen him in months, and he walks in on this mess. I’m glad he’s here, but I wish he hadn’t stopped me beating the hell out of that dickhead.

The room empties, and the door clicks behind Damien. I know he’ll stand at the door and give Kally and me as much time as we need here. He’s one of the good guys. It’s good that one other member of my family turned out okay considering the upbringing we had.

“I’m sorry, Clark. I don’t want to hurt you.”

“I don’t know what to do here, babe. I want to throw you out of the window and elope somewhere with you, but what kind of life will you have on the run?”

The tears roll down my cheeks, and Kally runs into my arms and wraps herself around me. Her sobs are wracking her body, and it’s breaking my heart into pieces.

“I’m going to get you away from here. I will. I promise.” I cup her cheeks and make her look into my eyes. “I love you, Kally. I’m sorry it took me so long to tell you. I wish things were different.”

I lean in and brush my lips against her soft, delicate mouth. She sighs against my lips and opens her mouth to let my tongue duel with hers.

She pulls away from me. “I want you to leave here and live your life. I don’t want you to get back into this life, Clark. I can live this nightmare knowing you’re okay. Please, do as I ask. Don’t make this harder than it already is.”

“I can’t live without you.”

“Can you remember when we were at middle school, and I had to do that play with the geeky kid that no one liked? You told me that we get dealt bad hands sometimes, but we just have to adjust and work with it. Well, the same applies here. This isn’t what either of us planned, but we need to make the most of it.”

I shake my head and watch her straighten her back. “This is a little more serious than doing plays with someone with bad breath and buck teeth, Kal. He’ll destroy you.”

She smiles weakly at me. “I’ll always love you, Clark.”

She reaches up on her tiptoes and places her soft lips to mine. I tighten my grip on her cheeks and hold on, probing her mouth with my tongue, our souls connecting. Now I know what I’m going to lose if I can’t get her away from here. I don’t want this moment to end.

“I have to go. They’re making the announcement at nine o’clock.”

She walks away from me and clicks the door open. The moment she’s out of my sight, I run after her. Damien stops me abruptly and ushers me down the hall. I spot Colton pulling Kally into his side. He knows I’m watching, and this show of affection won’t last. He doesn’t have a kind bone in his body. Behind closed doors, she’s going to go through hell.

My father clangs his glass with a spoon, and everyone comes to a silent stop and pays him attention. I wish he didn’t have such a hold over people. I wish they could see through him.

“I have an extraordinary announcement to make. It’s with great pleasure that I announce the combining of two families. The beautiful Kally Jamieson is going to become Mrs. Collinson on Saturday afternoon. She accepted Colton’s proposal earlier today. It came as a surprise to us all, but you can’t ignore what your heart wants.”

The room erupts into cheers and congratulations to the happy couple. My eyes meet with Kally’s, and she smiles warmly at me and nods her head.

“You can’t let this happen.” Alissa punches my chest and takes my attention away from my family in the center of all the guests.

“I tried, Lissy. I can’t do anything. She signed a contract. I won’t ever give up on her. Just be a good friend to her because she’s going to need it.” I lean in and kiss her forehead before leaving my parents’ house with Damien right behind me.

I reach the SUV where Jared is waiting for me inside. I open the door and climb into the front seat, banging my fist on the dashboard repeatedly. I think Jared is surprised to see me so early, but Damien wraps his arms around my shoulders from behind and keeps me from hurting myself or damaging the vehicle. My life is never going to be the same again.

“Come on, bro. Let’s get you home.”

“Do I even want to know what’s happened?” asks Jared.

“My father has practically fucking sold her to Colton. How could they do that?” I cry.

Jared gasps. It’s like one big fucking nightmare, but this is my reality. This is my life. My family ruins every good thing that comes into my life. They’ve taken so much from me over the years, but this is ridiculous.

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