Total pages in book: 85
Estimated words: 83430 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83430 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 417(@200wpm)___ 334(@250wpm)___ 278(@300wpm)
Which is rare in our life. Makes me wonder if I had fucking bad parents. At least, worse than I already knew.
I shouldn’t be here. It’s stupid to follow Talin around. Vaguely suicidal. Like I’m begging her to catch me, to embarrass me, to yell at me. Maybe I crave punishment. I’m probably with the wrong sister then—the blond looks like she’d enjoy doling out a sharp spanking.
But the blond isn’t my type.
I can’t stop staring at Talin. My mouth waters, remembering her taste. I nearly kissed her again at the Sarkissian mansion, another stupid mistake, but it was all I could think of at the time to make her stop asking questions. The nosey girl came close to catching me, and if I gave her a chance to think about why I was in an empty bedroom banging on a wall…
Kissing her felt like the best idea at the time.
I switch to bourbon when their food shows up. I’m cooking myself and I know it. I’m rolling around in the shit, beating myself up for no reason. Why would a girl like Talin want to marry me? Probably because she’s got no other choice.
I’m going to ruin her like I’ve ruined everyone else in my life.
She’s going to lose this, her relationship with her siblings, whether she wants to or not. It’ll never be the same, once she moves into that big, strange house in Fed Hill, the one Riley’s buying with my cash. That’ll be another bit of guilt heaped onto the funeral pyre. One more straw.
After my second drink, I slip off the stool and amble toward the bathroom. I’m not me; now I’m another anonymous guy needing a piss. I fall into character easily, my cheap polyester shirt, my ill-fitting pants, my second-hand shoes. Nobody glances at me twice. Why would they? I push into the men’s room and move toward the urinals.
As I reach the far end, I slow, briefly, as I pass behind her brother Sam. He doesn’t notice me, too engrossed on his business. I take my time, wait for him to wash and go, before posting up at the sink.
I hold up his phone with a smile.
He’ll notice soon enough. A kid his age can’t go more than ten minutes without checking his screen. But it’s good to know I still got it.
I shove the stolen device into my pocket, slip into the hall, and escape through the emergency exit.
Let Tallie have her night lunch with her nice family.
She’ll be mine soon enough, want her or not.
CHAPTER 7
TALIN
Igraze my fingers over silk, pausing to touch the lacy details, marveling at the intricate patterns. The dress is beautiful, like it was built for me.
“I hate it,” I say, staring grimly in the mirror.
“Tallie, seriously?!” Annie appears at my shoulder, brushing back my hair and fretting at the skirt. “You look incredible, which is exactly how you’ve looked in every single one of these dresses.”
“But I hate it,” I repeat stubbornly.
“Tallie—“
“I can’t, okay?” I turn away from the mirror and hurry toward the changing room. Annie follows but I slam the door in her face, which instantly makes me feel bad. “I know you’re not doing anything wrong. I just hate them all.” I lean my forehead against the cool wall and close my eyes, fighting back tears.
This makes no sense. It didn’t hit me this hard until right now. Seeing myself in a wedding dress, looking like a beautiful princess, only makes this whole nightmare feel real.
“I get it,” Annie says through the door. “But you can’t keep running away. When I got engaged to Leon—“
“I don’t want to hear about Leon right now,” I snap, much meaner than I meant, but can’t help myself. I take a deep breath and blow it out. “I’m not you.”
“Obviously not, but I know the situation you’re in, and there’s nothing you can do about it. Kick, scream, fight, shout, that’ll only make it worse. Trust me, Tallie, you can either embrace it, or you can let it consume you.”
She’s not wrong. That’s the worst part.
I wait for her footsteps to recede before taking off the dress and dragging on my sweats and t-shirt. I feel better with my own clothes on. I keep thinking about the day Annie first found out about her arrangement to Leon, the way she nonchalantly told me over breakfast, how she only shrugged and acted as though it were no big deal at all, and how freaked out I was about the whole thing. How could she accept it like that? How could she roll her eyes at her entire future wiped away by Papa’s decree?
But that’s always been Annie, able to bend and shift with the prevailing winds.
I thank the sales woman profusely before escaping outside to the sidewalk. Annie stays behind, probably to discuss more options or something. I gulp deep breaths of fresh air, trying to clear my head. The smell of the harbor wafts from the boats. I can see the water from my position at the corner. There’s a little sailing rig, some rowers working together, arms pulling, and a man standing nearby watching me—