Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 90268 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90268 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 451(@200wpm)___ 361(@250wpm)___ 301(@300wpm)
It immediately reminded me of my family, making me miss them more than I already was, especially at that moment. If I were home right now, I’d be out with my friends and not in this disaster of what-ifs. I felt like a fish out of water. This wasn’t my scene. I had nothing in common with these people. That much was obvious to me. Not because there was wealth beyond comprehension, but because they all seemed to speak an unspoken language I hadn’t learned yet.
“Look at you,” Tío declared, holding me at arm’s length with a smile that softened the sharp lines of his face.
His stare explored mine, visibly trying to find the pieces of my mother hidden somewhere inside me.
Understanding my reaction, he admitted, “You look so much like your mom did when she was your age.”
I didn’t hold back. “You stuck around that long?”
The tension was abrupt, and his eyebrows pinched together. I wasn’t going to make this easy on him. I didn’t appreciate being used for his redemption. By the looks of it, he was doing more than fine for himself, only confusing me further on his true intentions.
I didn’t want to be there, and it was completely his fault that I was.
Warm laughter rippled through the room as guests watched our reunion that I had no idea wouldn’t be private. The last thing I wanted was to walk into a stranger’s house to celebrate my arrival at a party I didn’t want to attend to begin with.
This couldn’t have been his idea. He had to be smarter than this. This reeked of desperation. A pathetic performance of whatever illusion they were trying to portray. I wasn’t raised to be ungrateful, but this party had nothing to do with me and everything to do with appearances.
The second I heard a screeching voice shout, “There she is!” I found the culprit.
“Ah!” she beamed, throwing her arms around my neck. “You’re more beautiful than your pictures!”
I stood there, frozen.
“Travel must have exhausted you.” She backed away, gesturing to my uncle. “Luis, let her go get dressed.” She grabbed my hand. “I picked out the perfect gown for you. It’s in one of the guest rooms.”
Nodding to me, Tío introduced her. “Hennessy, this is my fiancée, Elizabeth.”
Fiancée? We didn’t know he was engaged.
“Enough with the small talk. It can wait,” she beamed. “My brother was gracious enough to offer his home for your welcome party. Now let’s not have your guests wait to meet you.”
Her brother? Is he engaged to his best friend's sister?
“Hennessy needs to get dressed, honey.” Nodding to an older woman standing close to her wearing a uniform, she ordered, “The housekeeper will escort you.”
I didn’t have a chance to object. Every conversation seemed to fade as heads turned toward one of the many hallways in this palace. Interest heaved through the crowd, snatching notice with it. My gaze swept over unfamiliar faces until it caught one I hadn’t expected to come across.
The grand foyer held its breath, locking eyes with the guy dressed in a black hoodie. The hoodie almost covered his entire face while his hands were in the pockets of the heavy cotton material. He was dressed in worn jeans and scuffed boots, looking completely out of place.
Exactly like me.
We were the only two people in the room who weren’t dressed to impress. It wasn’t his outfit that caught my attention the most. It was the observant expression on his face that had me wondering if I wore the same on mine.
Two things were immediately clear to me: one, he didn’t give a shit about who he was impressing, and two, he didn’t want to be there, and we shared that immediate connection.
Like a knife carving into my skin, the sting of his stare did exactly that. My heart seized inside my chest, tightening as if he’d reached between my ribs and wrapped his hand around it.
I couldn’t breathe.
I couldn’t move.
I was frozen in place.
Powerless.
Restrained.
Exposed.
Not in fear. Fear would’ve been an emotion I could understand, something I could relate to. Something I could hold on to.
No, this was something far more unsettling. It felt like I was standing underneath a microscope where every scar I’d spent years hiding suddenly lay bare beneath his gaze.
Every insecurity. Every secret. Every flaw.
He stared at me as if he could peel away my flesh and bones until nothing was left but the truth I’d spent my entire life trying to outrun. My skin prickled beneath the weight of his attention, and the room around us faded until all that was left were those impossible honey-colored eyes fixated on mine.
I couldn’t tell if he hated me or pitied me, but hatred would’ve been easier to survive. There was no curiosity in his expression like the others. There was only recognition and this resentment I felt instantly. It was this unmistakable look of someone who wished I never existed.