Page 32 of Betrayed in the Dark
But I do have to,I want to tell her.
Instead, I merely shake my head. “The wedding is happening. And everything will be fine.”
“Are you trying to convince me or yourself of that?”
“Alastor will provide for me.”
“But will he love you?”
We both know the answer to that question.
I look away, biting my bottom lip. “Can’t you just be happy for me?” I ask softly, feeling my emotional restraint ready to shatter.
“I would be if you were marrying the right man.”
My head snaps her way. “And who would that be?”
Her shoulder-length black hair sways as she tilts her head to the side. “The only man your father ever approved of for you.”
“Don’t.” Tears threaten to spill like a dam ready to break, knowing the only man he ever approved of for me was…
“Dad,” I whine. “I’m not a little kid anymore. I’m seventeen, and eventually, you have to let me date. Every other girl in my class has a boyfriend. I’m the only single one left!” I throw my hands up in the air, exasperated. “Don’t you want grandkids?”
He chuckles, shaking his head. “Oh, Madeleine, you will always be my little girl.” He leans down and presses a kiss to my temple. “But when the time comes for you to date, there’s only one man I will approve of, and it certainly isn’t going to be some boy who doesn’t know how to treat my daughter well.”
I roll my eyes, crossing my arms over my chest. “And who, may I ask, is this mystery man?”
His gaze travels to my brothers and Eli as they play a card game around my mother’s dining room table, laughing as they catch up with one another.
He doesn’t say anything.
Because he doesn’t have to.
I swallow the lump in my throat as I look across the room at Eli, who’s still caught up in a conversation with Cressida. Still smiling and still laughing. Still the man my heart belongs to.
“Don’t bring Dad into this. Please,” I say as I stand, smoothing out my dress. “I love you, Mom. But I need you to trust me on this. The wedding between Alastor and me needs to happen. Everything will be fine, you’ll see.”
She offers a sad smile as I bend down to kiss her cheek. I walk away, deliberately heading in the opposite direction of Eli, my eyes focused on the bathroom door where I can hide from the world and let myself break in private.
After closing the door behind me, I check each stall before I lock the main door and let out a heavy breath.
Standing before the sink, I grip the counter’s edge, my knuckles aching from the force to hold me upright. My chest heaves violently as a wild tremble rushes through me, causing every part of my body to shake in rage. I stare at my reflection, not recognizing the woman I see.
She’s weak and scared.
Certainly not the image of strength and beauty I’ve managed to uphold over the years.
And to top it all off, she’s currently letting a man control her life.
A man.
Fury builds inside me as tears cloud my vision.
Without a second thought, my fist flies forward, sending shards of glass into the sink and across the counter.
A stream of blood rushes over the back of my hand, trailing across my knuckles.
“Great.” I sigh as I turn on the sink and let the cold water coat my skin, watching as the water transforms into a shade of pink. After drying my hands, I spot a first aid kit on the wall and open it to find some bandages, which I use to wrap tightly across my fingers.
