Page 13 of Seven

“It’s what’s best.”

“No! I’m not going!”

“Yes, Tallie. You are.”

"But why?”

“It’s what’s best for you.” Mom wouldn’t even look at me. She just kept folding my clothes like she wasn’t dismantling my life piece by piece. “You’re too distracted here.”

“Distracted? By what?” And then, it hit me. “Is this about Holt?”

“He’s not good enough for you, sweetheart. It’s time to start thinking about your future. You deserve more than what he can give.”

“He can give me all I need.”

“This isn’t up for discussion. Your father has made arrangements, and you’re going.”

“What arrangements?”

“He’s spoken with the headmaster and got you an early acceptance. You’ll be staying with your aunt Genevieve until classes start and...”

“You can’t do this.”

The room started spinning, but this wasn’t the kind of dizziness that came from standing up too fast. This was the kind of spinning that comes when your entire world tilts on its axis, leaving you clinging onto anything that can keep you from falling.

I didn’t know what to do.

This wasn’t what I wanted.

I had plans.

We had plans.

“Please don’t do this.” My voice broke, and tears started to stream down my face. “I love him, Mom. I love him so much.”

“I know you do, but that will change.” She didn’t show even a flicker of sympathy when she told me, “What matters is your future, and your father knows what’s best.”

I couldn’t breathe.

I needed to get out.

I needed to find Holt.

My heart was pounding as I whipped around and started out of the room. The second I hit the hallway he was there.

My father.

His jaw was clenched, and his gaze was hard and unyielding.

Without a word, he grabbed my arm, and his grip was firm as he steered me toward the front door. My pleas caught in my throat, but they didn’t matter. They were useless against the steel wall of his authority. He gave no explanations. No goodbyes. Just cold silence and the sound of my heart shattering with every step toward the waiting car.

They loaded my things into the trunk, and neither of them spoke as the driver took us to the private airstrip. I was a mess of tears and muffled sobs, but my father never even looked at me.

Once we got to the airfield, he gave me a harsh look and demanded that I give him my phone. I knew I had no chance of changing his mind, so I handed it over and got on the plane. When the doors closed behind me, it felt like I’d been sealed away from my family, my friends, and most of all, Holt. I’d just lost everything I loved.

It was at that moment that I realized this whole thing wasn’t about me and what I wanted. And it wasn’t about my parents doing what was best for me.

It was about control, and my father’s hunger for it.

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