7
Locked in my room.
Michael climbed through the window.
I helped him down. He was crazy. Our rooms
were on the second floor. His heart condition
was serious. He couldn’t handle exertion, let
alone dangerous stunts.
In the locked room, Michael stared at my red
cheek, his brow furrowed.
He wasn’t good with words.
After a long moment, he just said, “How could
MILCI a ivy UITION, The just saiu,
mon,
he?”
I smiled. It didn’t hurt anymore.
IIUV couiu
My dad? Of course, he could. I wasn’t his only
daughter.
Sarah, the illegitimate one, was his princess.
Why?
Because Janet, the woman who’d waited in
the wings for fifteen years, was his “true
love.”
My mother and I were just obstacles to his
happiness.
く
He’d forgotten who’d bankrolled his success,
back in the day. My mom’s family.
Michael brought ice, carefully wrapped it, and
held it to my cheek.
We talked, about nothing and everything.
Footsteps in the hallway. Before we could
react, the locked door opened.
Too late for Michael to hide.
We were sitting on the couch, side–by–side,
looking up at…
Ethan.
<
My dad, trailing behind him, a nervous smile
plastered on his face.
Ethan’s smile froze. His eyes met mine,
flickering with emotion.
Surprise. Disbelief. Fury.
I counted to three in my head.
Three.
Ethan exploded.
“Olivia! What are you doing locked in here
with him? Playing strip poker?”
8
<
