a

ice tearing through the hallway li

ion that makes your skin crawl. My heart slammed against my ribs, not from surprise, but from inevitability. This was the moment I'd been bracing for

orporate bride-to-be shattered, I could feel the sentence forming behind her teeth. I could practically hear the gears turning in her head, grind

physically block the words from coming out of her mouth. "She need

on the table. He thought this was still

pposed to marry Julian Windsor! And now,

r tears, for something she could grab onto and weaponize. Her mouth twisted like she'd already de

who got you preg

it m

r and more unhinged. It always did. Silence te

didn't care about my body or my decisions or even the

gedy. A man I'd never met. Never spoken to. Never even seen in real life or on a screen or on a grainy ne

o photos, no online interviews, no social media presence. Not even a blurry LinkedIn profile or a suspicious Wikipedia stub. Julian Windsor didn't exist, not in the way normal people exist. All we

m like a bargaining chip would fix everything wrong with

emotion in this house, but because I didn't have an answer. Vegas was a blur of neon lights, alcohol-soaked memories, half-remembered laug

?" Delia's voice sliced through

I needed. The aud

ditioning for some spoiled heiress role in her own fantasy movie. Her hair was twisted into that perfectly messy updo that probably took thirty minu

hat mean..." she gasped, pressing a hand to her chest theatrically, "I'll be the o

terly. "Glad to see some

e offended. Her smile widened

elia down. That she'd say no, that she'd insist I was still the daugh

led. "David," she said softly, with that tone tha

Worn down by years of surrender. I saw the exact moment he folded, th

hter," he said quietly, and the word

pawn. The deal. And now

regnant! David, you know we can'

d. "Okay, we gi

her voice climbing with excitement. "YES." She actually leapt in place, clapping

bbing Delia's face and kissing her forehead like she'd just

soaking it in

mom turn

evaporate

t us if she stays," she said sharply

ike he was chewing a broken glass. He didn't say no. He d

ve pace she always used when she'd already made

g that your father and I bought for you. You ar

t. Like I was something spoiled sitting on her counter that neede

oked aside. He turned his head away

se than the screaming. Worse than

me. He was supposed to b

ile, stupid second hoping he'd

ream. That would've given them too much satisfacti

every step, like the house itself was already rejecting me. I passed the family photos, forced smiles, staged vacations, and framed lies

t felt

hed th

ned

colder than I expected. The kind of cold th

I had was my phone. And it was because they didn't see it on me; if th