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Releasing my hold on one of her wrists, I lift my hand and gently cup her cheek, sliding my fingers along her jaw, then lower until my palm is collaring her throat. Silently, I assess her, watching as she nervously licks her lips. When I suddenly tighten my grip on her throat, her eyes widen.
“It didn’t have to come to this, Izabella. But if you tell anyone that our engagement is fake, then I’ll tell your family and everyone else I know that this was all your idea. I’ll tell them that you approached me, that you told me you were sick of being in your sister’s shadow, that you wanted to get revenge on her and embarrass her and your family.”
I’m not holding her tight enough to hurt her or restrict her breathing, but her gasp is barely audible, and for the briefest of seconds, I almost feel bad.
“Who do you think people will believe? You, the girl no one even knew existed, the daughter her family kept hidden in the shadows, jealous of her sister shining in the spotlight. Or me, the golden child of a prestigious family, a GAA Elite that everyone knows and loves,” I taunt, a smug smile spreading across my lips.
Her sigh is broken reluctance, and I can’t help but chuckle triumphantly.
“You’re all the same,” she whispers sadly.
“What?”
“You, Penelope, my parents, you’re all the same.”
“I’m nothing like your family,” I protest angrily.
Closing her eyes, she inhales a shaky breath before opening them again. “How long?”
“How long, what?” I ask.
“How long do I have to lie for you?” Her voice is resigned acceptance, and despite the hint of guilt laying heavy in my gut, I can’t help the sense of victory I feel at her submission.
“Not forever.” I laugh. “Just till graduation.”
Her eyelids dip closed, and a single tear escapes, rolling down her cheek. Unable to resist, I lean in and capture the tear in a binding kiss. “Don’t look so sad, Little Ghost. This is going to be fun.”
“For you maybe,” she whispers sadly.
Leaning down, I press my lips to hers, sealing our agreement with a bruising kiss. “I’m glad we understand each other, my darling fiancée. Now let’s get back in there and wow our audience with how in love we are.”
17
IZABELLA
Today has quite possibly been the longest day of my life, and it’s not over yet, because even though dinner is over, all of these well-wishers just don’t seem to want to leave. Almost everyone in the room is a stranger, yet it feels like I’ve spent hours making small talk with them about people I don’t know and places I’ve never been.
Since we walked back into the lion’s den, Gulliver has kept me pinned to his side, forcing me to play the role of dutiful little fiancée. The entire time he’s touched me like we really are in love, holding my hand, wrapping his arms around me, and casually kissing me like he has the right to my lips whenever he wants.
For years I’ve been treated like an employee, trained to play the role of my sister whenever the need dictates, but tonight I feel more like a possession—Gulliver’s toy he’s using to taunt my family.
Turning, I risk a glance over my shoulder at the man whose hand keeps grazing the underside of my breast every time he positions me in front of him and wraps his arms around me like he just can’t keep his hands off me. Honestly, I’m amazed by how cool and calm he is. Either he’s an incredibly good actor, or all this subterfuge and the lies he’s so effortlessly told tonight just don’t bother him at all.
Gulliver seems genuinely happy and excited as he moves us from one group to the next, regaling each new set of people with the story of how we fell in love, regularly guiding us to gloat over my family, and occasionally stopping to chat and laugh with one of his friends. Davis, who I now know is the blond boy, and Hawthorn, or Thorn as Gulliver calls him, seem to think this whole charade is incredibly entertaining, but when Gulliver isn’t looking, I can see the sympathy for me in Kip’s eyes.
As the first guests wish us good night and leave, I’m both excited for the night to be done and dreading leaving with my parents. I’m fairly confident that they’re going to flay me alive the moment we get in the car. Gulliver may not have realized it, but threatening to tell my family I planned all of this was the perfect tactic to keep me in line. It doesn’t matter that all the lies he’s told tonight barely even make sense, because my family would absolutely believe him over me.
They might not have been speaking loudly, but I heard what Dad said to Gulliver earlier. He asked why Gulliver would want me when he could have Penelope, and as much as I tried not to let his dismissal of my value visibly wound me, I still felt it like a knife to the chest. If I were a different person, maybe I’d be happy about what Gulliver is forcing me to do, but even though I hate what they’ve become and how they treat me, they’re still my family.
“Izabella, our car is waiting,” Mom announces angrily as she appears at my side.
I nod and move to pull away from Gulliver’s hold, but instead of releasing me, he pulls me in tighter to him. “Trudy, have you met our friends? This is Davis Aldrich, Kip Tudor, and Hawthorn Benedict.”
“Of course, nice to see you again, boys,” she says so sweetly, I actually blink to check if it’s still my mom talking.
“We were actually just talking about the sailing trip we have planned tomorrow,” Kip says, winking at me before turning to look at my mom.
“It would make sense for Izzy to stay here tonight, so we can get an early start in the morning,” Gulliver says in a voice that dares her to argue.
