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I nod. “This is awesome. Thank you for forcing me to come.”
“See, there’s some perks to this whole fake fiancée thing.” He laughs dryly.
“Yeah, about that.”
“Izzy, don’t. I’m not going to change my mind, and I’ve already told you what I’ll do if you tell your family the truth,” he snarls, his expression going hard and unyielding.
“You’re an asshole,” I hiss, bracing my hands on my hips as I glare at him. “You’d really tell my family I orchestrated all of this and destroy my relationship with them?”
“What fucking relationship?” he spits. “They pretend you don’t exist, Izzy. You’re fucking scared of them.”
“I’m not scared of them,” I say unconvincingly.
“Bullshit. I saw the way you were looking at them last night. I saw the fear in your eyes.”
“You just threw me under a fucking bus with them, then blackmailed me to keep my mouth shut. My family might not be the nicest of people, but you’re exactly the same!” I shout, turning and walking away before he has a chance to say anything else.
Bypassing Hawthorn at the wheel, I stomp through the door and into the boat’s living quarters, pausing slightly to take in the opulent stateroom I just entered. Soft creams with rich woods and muted tones cover the space in a way that screams luxury. Ignoring the décor, I throw myself down onto one of the couches and cover my face with my hands. I’m screwed. A part of me believed that maybe I could reason with Gulliver, that I could make him see how stupid this whole fake engagement is. But he’s adamant about carrying on with the lies, regardless of how bad things will get for me.
A bitter scoff falls from my lips, and I lower my hands and let my head fall back against the couch cushion. If I had a better relationship with my mom, dad, and Penelope, his blackmail wouldn’t work. If we were a normal family and I had a normal sibling-slash-daughter role, there’d be no question of my family believing I didn’t orchestrate this, but the truth is, I don’t.
In less than a week, Gulliver identified my weaknesses and exploited them for his own gain. All of this has shone a light on the fact that my parents don’t give a fuck about me. If any of that money was coming my way, maybe they would, but it isn’t, and money is everything. Hot anger bubbles up, and for a moment I wonder if all the lies Gulliver has told and this stupid fake engagement could be worthwhile, that maybe fucking with them might be worth it.
But my rebellion dies as quickly as it came. I already learned that going against my parents won’t work in my favor. But what do I do now? Gulliver won’t let me out of this stupid arrangement, and he’s right, my family will always believe him over me.
“Izabella,” a low voice says from the doorway.
Looking up, I expect to find Gulliver, but instead Kip is watching me, a cautious smile hitching the corners of his lips. “Are you okay?”
I shake my head, my bottom lip trembling slightly.
Closing the distance between us, he pulls me into an unexpected hug, holding me against his chest as he rubs soothing circles on my back. “I’ll talk to him, I’ll see if I can make him see sense,” he whispers into my hair.
At his words, the tears I’ve managed to hold back until now finally fall, and I shudder against him as silent sobs rack through me.
“I’m sorry, Izzy. This was all just supposed to be a joke. I’m so sorry,” he soothes, pulling me tighter and stroking my hair.
After a minute, I pull away from him, wiping the tears from my cheeks as I take a shaky breath and try to get myself together. “How long are we going to be out on the water for?” I ask, my voice raspy.
“Most of the day.”
“Is there a bedroom I can use?” I ask, needing to be alone to shore up my defenses and try to find some solution to this ridiculous situation Gulliver has forced me into. “I swear I’m not normally this pathetic.”
“You don’t seem pathetic, Izzy. You seem pissed off, and sad and alone,” Kip says, his eyes downcast.
A dry, humorless laugh bursts free, and I nod. “Yeah, that pretty much sums it up.”
“Come on, I’ll show you to one of the rooms. Lunch won’t be ready for a couple of hours.”
Pushing up from the couch, I wipe my eyes again and force a shaky smile to my lips. “Thank you,” I say, touching his arm. “I don’t know why you’re being nice to me, but I really appreciate it.”
“I’ll try to get him to drop this. We can think of another way around Penelope,” he says, like he really thinks it’s an option.
I don’t say anything else, and he leads me to a bedroom, casting a worried glance in my direction before he leaves me, and I close and lock the door behind him.
An impatient knock at the door pulls me from sleep, and I look around, disoriented and unsure where I am. As I take in my surroundings, it takes me a moment to remember that I’m in a bedroom on Hawthorn’s boat. Searching the walls for a clock, I finally spot one on the bedside table, shocked to see that it’s after three in the afternoon.
At lunchtime, one of the crew brought me a plate of food, and after picking at it, I must have fallen asleep. The knock at the door becomes more insistent, and I crawl off the bed and move to open it.
