Page 115 of Lush

“I love Reese.”

“Love?”She looked visibly ill.

“Yes,love.He’s the man I’ve always wanted to marry. When we went into the interrogation room back then, I lied. I’d been having an affair with Reese. For about two years when youwanted me to marry his brother. He’s always been the one for me. Never Conrad.”

“You can’t be serious.”

“The boating accident… You don’t know the whole story.”

Mama’s brows furrowed, her focus sharpening.

“There was a mess, a lot of things I should’ve told you. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t let you know that I’d been living a lie just to please you. That you were selling me off to a man who cared about titles just like you. Conrad grabbed me. Who knows what else he would have done to me? I couldn’t even tell my own parents about my fiancé because you would have told me to suck it up. What if things had escalated?”

“You’re telling me this now? Before one of the biggest moments of our lives?”

“This may have orchestrated this, but you don’t win. What I’ve been missing… It’s not the money and diamonds. I’m marrying someone who loves me, and I’m finally standing and choosing him. I can appreciate my legacy, but not being a slave to it.”

“I gave you everything. I made you who you are. And this is how you repay me?” Mama was visibly shaking, like a rabid dog.

“Love isn’t fleeting. It’s something that endures, Mama. Not business deals, not feuds, not the rules you keep trying to force. Love is Reese. Love is Erik helping me and bearing the brunt ofyoufor years without complaint. It’s me understanding my sisters,listeningto them. It’s Daddy, quietly helping me behind your back because he understood that I needed a choice, not an ultimatum.”

Her face tightened, her eyes narrowing as the words hit their mark.

“Love is Noelle calling me out that I was slowly letting myself turn into you, and I’ll be damned if I do that,” I added, my voice steady. “Look, Mama… Grandpa got sick, and I know that hurt. But you need to grieve,honestly.Not planning businessexpansions, horsewhipping us, or escaping to Bali. Sit with someone and talk about why you think and feel the way you do. I’m not here to be praised when I’m doing what you want and discarded when I don’t fit into your plan. I’m done being the obedient daughter, and I’m done being the one you mold into your perfect image out of fear.”

I saw her lips purse, chest heaving.

“You can have the theatrics of today. The gown, the guests, the media coverage, everything you want. But I’m marrying the man I’ve loved forever and your manipulations couldn’t destroy us. If you don’t change, Mama, you’re gonna lose your family. Then what’s the point of all your hard work?”

Her lips twitched into a scowl.

I turned toward the door, pausing before I left, my voice sharp as I looked over my shoulder. “If you must be in my wedding photos, Mama, smile or move to the back.”

Her gaze burned into my back, but I didn’t turn. Slamming the door felt good, and I made my way down the hall. I found my sisters waiting for me—Noelle, Gigi, Serena—and I realized something in that moment. I waschoosingthis life.

I smiled, my chest light, and walked forward. I could see Reese through the glass door, standing at the end of the aisle.

Gigi started the procession, followed by Serena and Noelle. I stood waiting for my cue when I heard, “I can’t believe my little girl is getting married.”

Daddy stood, waiting for me, looking handsome though his tie was slightly askew, as if he’d tugged at it one too many times.

“Daddy.”

He smiled, a mixture of pride and sadness. “Seems like just yesterday you were running around the backyard making me put up that garden for you.” He reached out, brushing a stray curl from my face. “And now, look at you.”

The warm, salty breeze tinged with the faint scent of coconut oil and sun-warmed orchids blew past us.

“You have nothing to worry about. You’ll fulfill your obligation, and all will be well.”

“Mama still doesn’t care, after all this time, you know.”

He didn’t deny it, but his eyes softened as he searched my face. “Your mother is…complicated.”

I crossed my arms. “Was this like it was when you both got married?”

“I thought I understood her when we first got married. But your mother is driven by something different. I’m not saying what she did was right. But it’s not as simple as you think it is.”

I shook my head, the frustration building again. “You’re okay with this, with everything being about her plan, her game?”

---