Page 50 of Unruly Obsession
“You shouldn’t be leaving meetings. I can call back.”
“No. You’re more important than any meeting. I wanted to talk to you anyway. You looked stressed at dinner. Is everything okay? Is it Dad?”
That final question prickles at the unsaid words. Vince had reservations about leaving me behind in Manhattan when he left for London. But if I cut ties with the family, then Mom will be stuck in that house with Dad, and I just don’t have it in me to do that to her. Even the thought of it terrifies me.
“No, I hardly visit them,” I admit as I put on a silk robe and sit at the end of my bed. I pick up a pink pillow and hug it to my chest. “I’ve been thinking about not going on this date tonight with this Timber guy.”
There's a beat of silence, then he says, “I don’t think that’s a good idea.”
I curl further into myself. I’ve always looked up to Vince; he’s the only voice of reason I can depend on in our family. I half expected him to agree with me, as if I were seeking his permission.
“I know you don’t like it. I don’t like it either. But you know how he’ll react. Dad’s really good friends with Riley Timber's father. Just go on the date, entertain the idea. You never know, you might hit it off.”
Hit it off? I doubt that. In the past, Vince has told me to ghost the men Dad pushes at me. And last week, he seemed happy about me being with Lorenzo. I know it’s not a real relationship, but the idea that not even my family acknowledges someone of my own choosing hurts.
“Lily?”
“I thought you liked Lorenzo,” I find myself quietly saying, dejected.
“I do. Look, he seems nice, but we have to be real for a second about your future,” he begins, and my heart shatters. He was the last person I expected to hear this from. “I know it’s hard right now, but it will get better. I promise. You know I didn’t want to take over the companies, and now look at me. I’m thriving.”
“But you’re not being sent around like a bargaining tool,” I retort angrily.
Silence again.
“I know I don’t understand, because I’m not his daughter, but I’m certain that although he doesn’t show it, he’s doing this out of a sense of caring somewhere in that diabolical heart of his. It’s just a date.”
It’s not just a date.
It’s a lifetime of control and abuse.
We’re all conditioned to work around him, programmed to step on eggshells around him, and I’m just too tired to dance for him anymore.
“I’ve been thinking about distancing myself from the family,” I confess.
“What do you mean by that?” he says sharply. “Lily, you can’t do that. What will you do? There’s no way you can support yourself without the family money and?—”
“I have my shop and?—”
“I thought that was a cute passion project you were doing.” Tears well in my eyes the moment I hearpassion project.It was Vince who supported the idea, so my heart breaks realizing not even he truly believed in it. “Shit, Lily, that surely can’t pay for your lifestyle. No, you absolutely cannot do that. You know he’ll cut all ties with you. Hell, he’ll make me and Mom cut all ties. Look, I know sometimes it feels a little restrictive, but we have everything we could ever ask for. What more could you want?”
Tears trail down my cheeks. I’ve squirreled away money for years now, in case my father ever did freeze my accounts. I’m self-sufficient and haven’t depended on family money for a long time, other than the wardrobe my parents expect me to have for all the grand events I’m forced to attend.
I’ve done everything for my family, and yet, what has it ever done for me? But the ache in my chest intensifies at the thought of my mother and how my father might retaliate against her if I leave.
I thought my brother was my ally, but in truth, I have nobody.
“Lily?”
I wipe at my tears and break out into a maddening smile. “It was just a thought. Anyway, I need to get ready for a date. Talk soon!” I hang up the phone and take a shaky breath as I stare up at the ceiling.
Maybe I should run away. But the moment I do, I know the guilt will eat me alive.
I stand, adjusting my robe, then descend the stairs to grab a glass of wine. If I’m doing this, I need to have some liquid courage so I don’t say the things that are truly on my mind.
I glance in the direction of Lorenzo’s usual spot when I reach the bottom of the stairs. But instead of my overprotective fake boyfriend, I find a man wearing a white mask with a light-blue gem staring at me.
“Hi there, sweetheart.”
