Page 14 of Prince of Tides
“Laurie will be worth a lot of money one day,” my father said bluntly as if pandering to a buffoon. “That money is hers to do with as she pleases. If something were to go wrong between you two, heaven forbid, I will not have that wealth become a bone of contention in the courts. This is non-negotiable for you to marry my daughter, Eric. I really don’t see what’s so hard about it.”
“It’s just the … context of prenups,” he said awkwardly. “It’s planning for divorce. It practically encourages it instead of working through your problems.”
Listening to him talk, as if he truly cared about me or our relationship, was enough to make my stomach nauseous.
“The prenup stands,” my father replied coldly, not budging.
Eric clenched his jaw, anger starting to show through. Whether it was real or irritation at how my father treated him, I wasn’t sure.
“Laurie, darling,” he said sweetly. “Can I talk to you alone for a bit?”
I shot my father a glance. I was fairly sure we had our answer regarding how Eric felt, but it hadn’t been as clear-cut as I’d hoped. There was no massive blow-up, noAha! reveal, or anything of the sort. I was still fairly certain he was a piece of shit, but there was a part of me that needed thatgotcha.
“Sure,” I said, getting up.
“Thank you,” he said, reaching for my hand. However, I kept it to myself because there were limits to what I could fake. Holding his hand was a step too far.
He shot me a curious and annoyed glance but didn’t fight it. Not in public.
I suspected once we were out of my father’s earshot of my father, that would change.
I was right.
Chapter Nine
Laurie
The walk down the hall to my room—I no longer viewed it asourroom—was perhaps the eeriest experience of my life. Neither of us said a word. We walked side by side, not speaking or even looking at one another.
My mind was racing. Did he know that I knew? Was he starting to suspect it? Or was he truly blindsided and hurt by the demand to sign a prenup? Was his anger faked, or was he finally showing me the real him?
“What the hell was that about?” he hissed the moment the door closed behind us.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I said robotically.
“Springing a prenup on me like that? In front of your family? At least your mother and brother weren’t there, but really, come on, Laurie? That was callous and unnecessary. I haven’t seen you in close to a month, andthisis how you greet me?”
I stared at him, in shock mostly. He was still going along with it. Still trying to pretend like I hadn’t overheard him.
“It’s really quite standard. Didn’t your sister sign one?” I pointed out. “I’m pretty sure she did.”
“That’s different,” he snapped.
The tone wasn’t one he usually used with me, and I recoiled, stunned by the vitriol in his voice. Maybe I’d made a mistake, leaving on my own. I shot a look back toward the door but didn’t make a dash for it.
“How is that different?” I pressed. “It’s the same thing, except in this instance, I’m your sister.”
“The man she married was from nothing. He had no money. It was to protect her.”
“That’s not true!” I protested. “Dan does just fine for himself. Sure, he’s not on your level, but he’s not struggling, either. We’re all extremely privileged and lucky to be where we are, Eric. Don’t ever forget that. This is something that people in our position have to deal with. You don’t get to get upset over that.”
“Don’t tell me I don’t get to be upset over it when my fiancée bombards me with this news, after an already difficult dinner, without any warning or mention. If it had come upat allbefore this, then I wouldn’t care as much. But you sprang this on me, and that’s not very nice at all. I don’t deserve this.”
I stared at him, longing to fling the phone call at him, but I wantedhimto be the one who broke down and outed himself.
“This is normal, Eric. You’re really overreacting.”
I knew that would set him off.
