No.
This isn’t true.
I’m not hearing this.
I fell asleep, and this is a dream.
A nightmare, an absolute fucking nightmare.
The worst I’ve ever had, which is saying something.
I wrap my arms around myself, feeling as lost and small and terrified as I’ve ever been.
“I’m not getting married.
I’m not marrying anybody!
What are you talking about?
Who is Eric Rinaldi?”
“This isn’t the way I wanted to tell you,” my father murmurs.
At least he has the decency not to act like this is a happy conversation.
At least he’s not completely dismissing me the way he usually does.
“But tonight, the Rinaldi family are coming for dinner, and you will meet your soon-to-be husband.
The marriage contract is already finalized.
By the end of June, you’ll be Mrs.
Eric Rinaldi, and our families will be joined.”
“But I won’t.
I can’t!
You mean you sold me?”
“Don’t be childish.”
There it is.
There’s that dismissiveness.
“This is the way the world works.
Yes, you are my daughter, and with that comes certain responsibilities.
Such as marrying the man I’ve chosen for you.”
“But Dad.”
I can’t find the words.
Who could?
“I don’t know him.
I don’t want to get married, not yet.
What about school?”
“School served its purpose.
You met people, enjoyed yourself, and did well in your classes.
And you’ll have the whole spring to do that again.
But come June, you will be married.
You’ll be Eric Rinaldi’s wife, and you’ll be expected to perform as a wife performs.”
Oh.
It’s like the final piece of the puzzle falling into place.
“That’s why it was so important to you that I be a virgin, right?”
Bright spots of red pop up on his cheeks.
I don’t know if he’s more embarrassed at being found out or at me coming out and speaking plainly.
“Because I have to be the good, virginal little wife, right?”
“Mia…” Zeke murmurs.
If I didn’t hate him with every ounce of my being, I might actually listen.
As it is, all I do is glare at him, gratified that he at least has the decency to look embarrassed.
He should be embarrassed.
“And you knew about this, too, didn’t you?”
It’s like I’ve never seen him before.
I don’t even know who he is now.
“Didn’t you?
You’ve known all this time that school was a joke.
He never had any plans to let me graduate.
I was going to be married and sent off to somebody else’s house.
Right?”
My rage grows with every word until I’m practically screaming.
And he takes it without so much as a single flinch.
That’s how I know I’m right.
He won’t even bother arguing or defending himself because there is no defense.
“I’ve said this before,” I tell him in a low voice, ignoring my father for the moment.
“But this time, I mean it with my whole heart.
I hate you.”
His eyes close for a second, and I know that hit him hard.
Good.
That’s not even anywhere close to what he deserves.
Dad sighs before clapping his hands together like he does when he wants to change the subject.
“Mia, we can talk about this.
We can smooth this out.”
I don’t want to hear a single word he has to say.
I don’t want to hear anything from either of them.
I can’t even be in the same room with them.
First, though, I want to get one thing clear.
“Your plan is useless,” I inform my father, holding my head high.
I don’t care.
He won’t see me tremble anymore.
“What does that mean?”
I see Zeke out of the corner of my eye, and the way he tenses all over tells me he knows where this is going.
I wait a second, drawing it out, and I hope the tension kills him.
“It means I’m not a virgin anymore.
I’ve already had sex.
Lots of it, in fact.
So this Eric Rinaldi isn’t going to get his little virgin bride, after all.”
His face goes from slightly red to almost plum purple.
“That’s not true!
That can’t be true!”
“Who says it can’t be?
Face it.
I’m not who you wanted me to be to make your little deal work.”
And it was Zeke who did it.
It’s right there, right on my tongue, ready to tumble out into the open.
It would be the ultimate revenge, wouldn’t it?
But I can’t.
Even now, I can’t do it.
Even though I have every right in the world.
I take one more look at my father’s stunned expression before turning around and running for it, sprinting back down the hall and up the stairs.
I lock my door, though I know if anybody wanted to get in, nothing would stop them.
I have to go.
I need out of here, now.
No way am I going to let him use me this way.
And Zeke.
Why did he have to do this to me?
I reach my bed, and my legs threaten to go out from under me, but I can’t let that happen.
Once I’m away from here, I can cry my eyes out until my body shrivels up and blows away like a dry leaf.
I don’t care.
But that can’t happen now.
I have to hold it together long enough to find a way out.
But how?
My mind races.
I don’t have the keys to any cars, and I seriously doubt anybody would give them to me if I asked.
Blair?
She should be free for break by now, right?
Even if she isn’t, maybe I can convince her to come and get me.
There has to be a way I can sneak out.
While everything is getting fixed up for the dinner party, I could slip out.
The fact is, I need to believe I can.
I need to believe I have some measure of control over my life.
Rather than taking everything with me, I pack a few essentials, throwing everything I just placed in my bathroom back into a bag.
And he wanted me to dress up tonight.
Like he was getting me ready to go up for auction-no, not quite, because the auction is finished.
I’m already sold.
Only when I grab my laptop, one additional option comes to mind.
And wouldn’t it piss Zeke off to no end if he knew how I chose to get away?
When I think of it like that, it’s almost too perfect.
I sit down, fingers flying over the keys.
Please tell me you’re around.
Please tell me you’re available.
Dean answers right away, to my relief.
Yeah, I’m just hanging out.
What’s up?
Are you okay?
No, I don’t think I’ve ever been less okay.
I listen for any sound out in the hall, but everything’s silent.
For once, Zeke has enough sense to stay the fuck away from me.
New Book: Back Home to Marry Off Myself
Loredana’s father left the family for his mistress, leaving them to fend for themselves abroad. When life was at its toughest, her father showed up with “good news” after 8 years of absence: To marry off Loredana to a paralyzed son of the wealthy Mendelsohn family.