Page 87 of 10 Days to Ruin

“I assure you I do not.”

“That’s easy for you to say,” I remind her acidly. “You got married within a year of dreamy courtship. Dad rented a white horse for the wedding, even though you were both broke. You’re basically a fairy tale in a cocktail dress.”

She shrugs. “I wouldn’t have married for anything less. Even if it didn’t give me a happily ever after, that doesn’t mean it wasn’t worth trying for. Love is always a leap.”

My heart tugs at that. Of all people, Mom deserved that more than anyone: a fairy tale ending. I can’t think of a single person who’s more romantic than her, or who believes in True Love—capital TandL—with the same fervor. If my dream is to become a top notch reporter, hers has always been to be whisked away in a carriage with doves pulling the reins. To experience a romance for the ages, no matter the obstacles.

But Baba didn’t give her that. He didn’t make her a princess—he made her an empress. To an empire of shadows and darkness she knew nothing of and wanted no part in.

She tried to adjust. She really did. But tigers can’t change their stripes, and people can’t change their dreams.

Not even for the sake of someone they love.

“Honey, what’s wrong?” Like always, Mom reads my mood shift immediately. “Is it something I said?”

“No, Mama, I?—”

“You know I don’t resent your father. It’s all water under the bridge. And besides, he gave me you. That’s the most important thing.”

I shake my head and smile. It’s a little bit sad, a little bit sweet, but that’s our entire relationship in a nutshell. With our history, it’s all we can do to focus on the good while leaving the bad in a dusty old box labeledThe Past — Do Not Open.

“I just… I don’t know if he’s a good person. This hunk. I mean, he’s good to me, but he’s like…” I trail off, unable to finish that sentence.

“Like your father?”

“Please don’t say it like that. It makes it sound so Freudian.”

A cheeky smile plays on her lips. “You know, the problem with our marriage wasn’t your father’s… ahem,activities. It was that I didn’t know about them. He kept it all a secret for so long that I just watched him change without knowing why. And he got to make that choice, but I didn’t. If he’d discussed his plans with me, if he’d told me sooner… Who knows?”

Who knows?It’s the biggest “What If” of my life: what if Dad had been honest? What if he’d made Mom a part of his world before his world consumed him?

Or what if he’d left it all behind? What if he’d given it up to work alongside her in that little hole-in-the-wall Greek restaurant she waitressed at? What if, eventually, he managed to buy it? What if they’d lived out a modest, happy life behind that counter?

How would our story have ended then? How would Jasmine’s have ended?

But there’s no answer. And the story isn’t over yet, not quite. Despite everything, I know Mom still cares deeply for Dad. I know Dad feels the same. I hold no illusions, but who knows? With time, maybe…

Maybe your broken home might finally be mended.

Maybe your mom would get her happy ending.

And maybe your dad would remember what it was like to love you like a daughter instead of an asset.

That’s why I can’t tell her, even if it breaks my heart to lie to her. If Mama knew Baba was behind this, that he auctioned off my hand behind my back and threatened me into going along with it, she wouldn’t stand for it. She’d get involved and she’d be fierce about it.

I can’t let her do that. I can’t let her burn that bridge for good.

And I definitely can’t let her near any mafia business ever again. Not when she’s been sober from the stuff for fifteen years straight.

“So what are you saying?” I slump, my gaze moving to the lake. The Quackdashian family is whole and well, teaching their ducklings to swim before the weather grows too cold. “If I know all the dirty details, then it’s okay?”

“I’m saying there are no wrong choices, dear. Only different ones.”

I glance up at the sky. Clouds are gathering fast, smooth and white and endless. This year, we might get a White Christmas yet.

And before then, I’ll have to make my choice.

28

---