Page 95 of Obsessed with the Heartbreaker

Henry deserved the best, and if I could help him in some way, it would be by making Connell see that.

“I can’t say I’m not disappointed, but I understand. My son is a tough nut to crack, but I’ll talk to him myself, he’ll see it’s the right thing to do and it will be fine—”

“No, it willnotbe fine, Connell.”

For the first time, ever, I used his first name. I’d always admired and respected this man, who had always been kind and generous with me, but the one who had to see the truth of the situation, who had to open his eyes, washim.

“I know you want what’s best for him, but this is the wrong way. Henry is one of the smartest people I know, and although academically he might not be what you wished him to be, he’s perfectly capable of making his own way through the world. In fact, Iknowhe will. Henry’s methodical, thoughtful, has a way with words and with people and he inspires everyone around him to want to do better. To follow him and trust him. And most of all, he already has enough friends and people who support him that will guide him through the decisions about his future that he needs to take, which you would know if you actually talked to himand listened, not as the father who tells his son what to do and how to do it, but as an equal. It’s the least he deserves, and if you ever want to repair your relationship with him, you’ll have to do it.”

The silence at the other end of the line was deafening. I felt near panting after my heated rant. Because, God, I may have ruined every chance I had with Henry or maybe there had never even been a chance forusto work to begin with, but if I knew one thing, it was that Henry deserved everything. And I wanted to give it to him.

“I see you have many feelings about this.”

“I do.”

“Well, I…Thank you for your words. They’ve given me a lot to think about.”

It was a noncommittal statement if I ever heard one, the words of a businessman, but right now, I didn’t even care. With a curt goodbye, I hung up and breathed in deeply, staring at the world with different eyes.

My chest still felt heavy with everything I hadn’t told Henry, but I was going to get that dealt with very soon.

Tonight.

Chapter 31

Henry

Staring sightlessly at the landline phone in my parents’ house, my ears rang. My entire world had shifted. I felt unmoored, almost faint. Antony’s words were like bells going off again and again in my mind, deafening and terrible, and there itwas. The truth I’d been trying to avoid. The reason why Antony had approached me in the first place.

My father.

A favor.

My compliance.

I wasn’t stupid. I could read between the lines. As soon as I’d heard Antony’s words, my mind had started working, going through every single interaction we’d had in the past few weeks, and I knew with certainty that Antony had never tried to convince me of following my father’s footsteps. All along, he’d been encouraging me to do whatIwanted, to look at my options without the layer of resentment that had always covered my eyes, and actually think for myself. Choose for myself.

I should have seen this coming.

There needed to have been a strong enough reason for Antony to have forced himself to come see me, even after so many years of avoiding each other. To make it necessary to climb through the walls we’d put in there once and for all.

And what could be stronger, than Antony’s need to somehow repay my parents’ kindness?

It was sick.

It mademesick.

My grip hardened mercilessly on the phone, making the plastic crack and threaten to break.

The worst of all was that I was angryforAntony. That even now, I only resented my father more, making my knuckles hurt with the urge to rage and send my fist through one of their pristine walls.

When my father came out of his study and saw me with the phone, he had the gall to look surprised. Did he think for a moment that after hearing Antony’s name I wouldn’t pick up the other phone to listen?

Call it fate.

Call it terrible luck.

Or call it an instinctual leaning towards emotional masochism, because somehow, today, when my mother called, I picked up. When she asked me to pay her and my father a visit, I said yes.

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