Page 20 of The Truth Between

I squeezed my eyes shut as I tried to wash away the anger and fear and convince myself that the dominant feeling I needed to have was determination. I had to survive this. I clung to the warm memories of them as I dozed off to sleep on this mattress because that was the only thing I could do at the moment.

I only slightly moved my head when I heard footsteps sounding from above. I assumed it was Franklin moving, but hearing them move back and forth in the same place made me think differently.

Was the person pacing?

It wasn’t as if any of that mattered. I leaned back against the cold wall and closed my eyes again. I allowed myself to listen to every sound that the house made.

As I sat still, I found myself hoping that something would change. Something needed to change.

11

SOREN

Late at night, my home was completely silent, just as I preferred. The large windows reflected the soft glow of the moon, casting shadows into my office. The only sound was the gentle ticking of the grandfather clock, indicating how much time had passed since I entered this room. I sat in my office chair, nursing a glass of whiskey, having calmed down from my earlier explosion against Iris.

However, she wasn’t the only person I was thinking of.

Eden’s face danced in my mind, her laughter playing like a melody. For a brief moment, I lost myself in the illusion that she was still alive. But the bitter truth came crashing down like a sledgehammer.

I thought back to us sitting in here, Eden looking through my books. I could tell that something was on her mind because she hadn’t been acting like herself. That day, she seemed to be more reserved and when she turned to look at me, I could see the vulnerability in her eyes.The memory was so vivid it replayed in my mind as if it were happening again now.

* * *

“My father is tryingto force me to marry someone that I’ve never met. He thinks this will propel our family’s status in New York.”

It wasn’t the first time I’d heard of a marriage taking place due to an arrangement between families, but I’d never expected it to happen to Eden. “Your father is doing what?” There was no way I’d heard her correctly.

“He’s selling off my hand in marriage to the highest bidder in hopes of having more money and status.”

She looked away, but I saw the way that her face fell before she moved. And that only made me angrier. “You can’t let him control you like this.”

Eden sighed. “What choice do I have? If I refuse, we’ll have nothing.”

I shook my head, not believing what I was hearing, but at the same time, I wasn’t shocked at Anthony Marsden’s audacity. “No, we can figure something out. There must be another way.”

My mind raced with possibilities of how to help Eden escape her father’s plans. Confronting her father would only make things worse for her. Offering her financial compensation without the marriage would only fix one of her issues because while I can give her money, there wouldn’t be any change in social status for her.

While I did move in many powerful social circles, I preferred to remain in the shadows instead of being the center of attention. Nothing I came up with in my mind as a potential solution seemed to fit the bill until it finally hit me.

“Marry me instead.” The words tumbled out before I could stop them.

Eden stared at me. “What?”

“Marry me,” I repeated. “Your father wants you to wed for money. I can give you that. Getting married to me would prevent him from forcing you down the aisle with anyone else. You won’t have to marry a stranger, and your family will be provided for.”

“Soren, we can’t. I won’t bring you into this and tie you to me because we aren’t actually in love.” A watery chuckle left her lips.

“This isn’t about falling in love. We love each other and our friendship can make this work,” I walked over to her and grasped her hands, willing her to understand. “This is about protecting you, Eden. Marry me, and I’ll keep you safe. No matter what.”

Eden searched my face as the floodgates opened and tears spilled down her cheeks. At last, she nodded. “Thank you.”

I pulled her into my arms and hoped to soothe the pain she felt. “Of course. You’ve saved me more times than I can count.”

“Hardly, Soren. You never needed anyone to save you. I still feel terrible bringing you into this. You should find someone to spend the rest of your life with, to treat with love, dignity, and respect.”

“I’m choosing to help you. And that’s the end of it.”

* * *

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