Page 4 of Beyond Rosy Irish Twilight

JADE

I swiped the tear from my eye as I cried in my mother’s arms. “He’s forcing me to marry. I don’t even know this man.”

I sniffled, wishing I could just run away from everything. It wasn’t fair. If I could find a way out, I would take it. But my father’s hold on me was tighter than ever. I wished my mother would say something—anything, but as usual, I got no response. I pulled back and stared at my mother.

Picking up a napkin, I wiped the drool from her mouth and tossed it in the garbage. It had been five years since this started. This long road of visits to the hospital, trying to figure out what was wrong with her. Every time the doctors diagnosed her with something, we began a new round of treatments. None of them worked, because it wasn’t the correct diagnosis. And after all the money my father spent getting her the best care, no one could figure out why her body was attacking itself.

I sighed and stared at my mother. Her kind smile was all I got in return. In some ways, I was sure she was still in there. She still patted my hand and held me as much as she could, but her strength was waning. She lost her ability to speak a year ago. Again, no one knew why or how. I wanted her to speak, to tell me what I should do, but it was too hard for her to even pick up a pen and write anymore. We were lucky she still had the ability to swallow, but the doctors said even that would go sooner rather than later.

We lived in a constant state of wondering how much longer she would live. With live-in nurses taking care of her around the clock, she got the best care possible. In that regard, I could say my father truly cared for her. But what about me?

The door opened behind me and Margaret walked in with her afternoon meal. Nowadays, my mother’s food consisted of a liquid diet. Margaret did everything she could to pack it full of the nutrients she needed. As the cook of the family, she could just call a nurse to bring the meals to my mother, but Margaret had a soft spot for my mother, and insisted on bringing the meals so she could check on her.

“Hey,” I smiled at her.

“How’s Ms. Lila doing today?”

“Same,” I said, moving out of her way. I walked around to the other side of the bed, making room for Margaret.

“And you?” she asked, eyeing me carefully. Margaret could always tell when something was going wrong in my life, like when I basically disappeared for six months. That had been over two years ago, but I had a painful reminder that would never leave me.

I took a shaky breath. I still was nervous to say anything around anyone, but I could trust Margaret completely. She was the only one I would ever say anything to.

“He’s forcing me to marry someone.”

Her eyes went wide in horror. She pressed her hand to her mouth, shaking her head as she regarded me. “Who is he?”

I shrugged. “His name is Asher. He’s part of his organization. I don’t know many details other than that. But there was a clear threat of what would happen if he didn’t say yes.”

“Jade,” she whispered softly.

She was the only person in this house that knew what happened to me. There were men that worked for my father that knew what happened, but she was the only member of the household staff.

I swallowed the urge to cry. I didn’t know what to do anymore. There was no escaping for me. I was locked into this life because of what I had done. The only way out was death, and I knew that wouldn’t happen under my father’s watchful gaze.

“But if you—”

I shook my head. “I can’t risk it.” Not only was my past forcing me into this situation, my father had double the leverage against me. One of the conditions for being allowed this little freedom was that I was on my best behavior. If not, he would stop my mother’s treatments.

I wrapped my hand around my mother’s and squeezed. Maybe she would be better off slipping away from me. I had no idea what this life was like for her, but I held onto hope that since they didn’t know what she had, they might eventually find a cure.

It was wishful thinking, but it was all I had to hold onto at this point. “I should go.”

“Please, stay with me,” Margaret smiled.

“I can’t. I have wedding stuff to take care of.” The thought made my stomach turn, but I forced a smile and gave my mother a quick kiss on the cheek. “I’ll see you tomorrow,” I whispered.

I didn’t look at Margaret as I left. I was already on the verge of a breakdown. If I stayed any longer, I would be a sobbing mess in her arms. That would put me behind in finding a dress and meeting with the wedding planner. I didn’t see the point in all of it. He could easily have papers drawn up and make this simple on all of us, but instead, he was forcing us to make a spectacle of ourselves.

I was about to head downstairs when I heard his voice boom from his office on the first floor. “Jade!”

Cringing, I took a deep breath and steeled my spine, which only made pain shoot through me. I hurried downstairs, knowing better than to keep him waiting. I knocked on his door and waited for him to allow me to enter.

“Come!”

I entered and left the door open, not wanting to enclose myself in a room with him. In fact, the only rooms I shut myself into were my own and my mother’s. Anywhere else, it sent me into a panic.

“Yes?”

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