Page 75 of Isabelle and the Beast

Her head rears back. “No. Of course not. I don’t even have access to anyone besides family. Dad finally gave me some limited Internet access, so I got to see everyone lose their minds over seeing you again.” She tilts her head. “Is everything okay?”

Do I tell her about the text? No. I don’t want to worry her. “Everything’s fine. I shouldn’t have called.”

“No,” she says quickly. “I’m glad you did.” She brushes a piece of her long, blonde hair over her shoulder. “You need a plan.”

“A plan?” I scoff. “My plan is to find a new career.”

“You can’t hide forever! And you can’t let him win!”

“You sound like Agatha,” I mutter.

“I’m serious, Adam.” She bites a nail for a moment, and I can tell she’s contemplating her next words. I give her the time she needs to gather her thoughts.

“I’m angry, Adam.” she says, her cheeks turning pink. “I know you still see me as the little girl who got lost in the woods, and yes, I made some mistakes last year. But I’m not heartbroken anymore. In fact, I’m not broken at all. I’m ANGRY. And Tristan doesn’t deserve to get away with this.”

She’s right about that. He doesn’t. But it’s not worth the danger of what he could do to her again.

“You need to say something,” Lily continues. “You can tell everyone what happened with me, and?—”

“No.” I need to shut that line of thought down before she gets too far. “I would never compromise you like that. Besides, it’s in the contract.”

Her brows furrow. “But this is defamation of character. Surely you can breach the contract.”

“I refuse to risk it. You don’t need that kind of stress, anyway. If any word came out about your relationship with Tristan, the paparazzi would be all over you. Tristan would…” I cut myself off before saying that he would somehow try to get back at her. “You wouldn’t be able to leave your home.”

“I already don’t leave,” she says, anger lacing her words. “I’m not allowed to. Because you all think I’m a child.”

“That’s not…I don’t think you’re a child,” I say gently. “Father just wants to make sure you don’t have another situation like you did with Tristan.”

“And keeping me locked up is the solution?”

“No, of course not.” This conversation is going off the rails, and I need to get it back on track. “Look, I’ll talk to Father again. You’re right. It’s been long enough that you’ve been cooped up there, and it’s not like you’re doing anything reckless.”

“And you’ll find some way to get back at Tristan?”

“I’ll think about it.” Sure, I’ll get back at him, if hiding out here in the castle counts. I don’t want to end our conversation this way, though. “How has piano practice been?”

“Good. I’m working on a few Debussy pieces now.”

“I thought you already played those?”

She nods. “I’ve been playing Clair de Lune for years. But I never attempted Reverie. It’s not too difficult, but it’sso dreamy.” She raises her brows at me. “Maybe if you convince Father to let me out of here, I can finally perform again.”

“Don’t push it,” I say teasingly. “Why don’t you perform for me right now?”

“Okay!” She hops up and sets her phone down on the fireplace mantle, positioning it so I can see her at the grand piano. I remember when she was four years old and learning to play on that same exact piano, her feet dangling from the bench as she played and sang a little song about a robot.

But she’s not that little four-year-old anymore. Her blonde hair has grown with her, and her arms and legs have lengthened but don’t look as knobby as before. She sits at the piano, gracefully brushing her hair behind her shoulders, and she inhales as she sets her fingers on the keys. Her left hand plays a few notes, and as the right hand joins in, it truly does sound like a dream.

My heart twists as I listen and watch her. She has a special gift, healing others with the power of music. It’s a gift that deserves to be shared with the world, and it was supposed to be, before Tristan took that away from her.

The music is supposed to feel like a dream, relaxing me, but instead, I feel angry. Angry at Tristan for what he stole from Lily—her guaranteed future as a concert pianist.

Her freedom to fall in love.

Her innocence.

Her love of life.

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