Page 115 of I Was Always Yours (RCA: Royal Crown Academy)

I sigh, reminding him of what I told him when I left. “What does it matter? I won’t see you before New Year’s.”

He abruptly stops pacing, his tone icy and forbidding when he speaks next.“Is that your way of implying you’re not planning on going to bed alone tonight?”

“That’s not what I said.” I counter. “He’s sixty plus years old and his name is Walter. He’s just looking after me and making sure I’m safe, that’s all.”

That mollifies him and he exhales a breath. “Tell me what I want to hear then.”

Clearly, he’s going to stretch his possessiveness of me to the very last second. It’s the only way he seems to be able to express any sort of emotion towards me, so I’ll take it.

“I’m going to bed alone tonight.”

His eyes drop to my mouth. “With your lipstick intact.” He adds, in a way that tells me he wants me to repeat it.

“With my lipstick intact.” I echo. “You’re psycho, you know that?”

“When I told you I wouldn’t share you, I meant it.”

Butterflies emerge yet again, fighting for an outlet. I wish he was here so he could put them to good use.

“I’m going to bed,” I tell him. “I’m going to pop two paracetamol and wear a very unsexy depuffing eye mask so I don’t wake up looking like I belong on an episode ofBotchedtomorrow.” I take one last look at the stars before telling him, “Merry Christmas, Phoenix. Thank you for showing me the brightest star in the sky, I love it.”

“Merry Christmas,” he says, walking back into the house. “I didn’t get a chance to tell you, but you looked beautiful tonight. The stars paled in comparison to you.”

He hangs up and the screen goes black, leaving me to stare at the surprised expression on my face before I clutch the phone against my chest like I would hold him against me if he were here.

Chapter 34

Sixtine

The next morning, I wake up with my depuffing mask strapped firmly in place and a dry mouth like you can’t believe.

Before I even open my eyes, I reach for the bottle on my nightstand and guzzle it like I’ve forgotten the taste of water. I look at the alarm clock next to it and take in the time. 10:48am.

With a groan and some frankly indescribable noises I make as I stretch, I get out of bed and head towards my en-suite bathroom.

That’s when I spot a box on my desk.

It’s red, square, with a white envelope laid on top.

Immediately, I know what it is.

My trip to the bathroom forgotten, I rush to the desk and open it, ignoring the note for now.

Inside, I find a massive engagement ring. It has a centerpiece diamond, at least five or six carats, with a crown of eight smaller rubies surrounding it, and a thin, gold band.

It’s completely unique and not what I would have expected. It’s so much more beautiful than anything I could have imagined.I take it out of the box with gentle fingers, noticing that my hand is trembling slightly, and slip it on.

It’s a perfect fit.

It feels like me and I can’t explain why.

I wiggle my fingers, letting the light bounce off the diamond and rubies and enjoying this new weight on my hand.

Picking up the envelope, I take out the note and flip it over to read it.

Time to make it official.

Dad

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