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My mother, Anna’s eyes are full of fury as she sees me walking into the room. “If you’re going to have a secret relationship, you really shouldn’t be making out like teenagers outside this house.”
I decide to feign ignorance. “What are you talking about?”
“Don’t pretend nothing is going on. I have my sources.” Dad stands for a moment, staring between me and Bast. “Is something going on between you? Is it true?”
Marie crosses her arms and waits for an answer.
“Of course it is. That’s why she refuses to meet Daniel.”
“I can find a boyfriend myself! Thank you very much,” I yell at my mother.
Brendan furrows his brow. “He is fifteen years older than you, Breanna.”
“We’re not…” I try to tell her nothing is going on but stop when Bast interrupts me.
“Thirteen years.”
Father grunts, then clears his throat as he glares at his friend. “Thirteen... Fifteen... What does it matter? You’re too old for her.”
Mom stands, her hands splayed on her hips. “She is. And you need to come home with us today, Bree. Or you are disinherited.”
Bast laughs and shakes his head at Anna. “You know nothing about your daughter, do you?”
She glares at him.
“She doesn’t want your money. She wants you to see her. She wants you to pick up the phone once in a while and ask what she wants to do. Not tell her what you expect of her. She does stupid shit to get attention, because you’ve never given her any. How often do you tell her you love her?”
“She’s always got everything she wanted.”
“But not your love,” I whisper as I think about all the dinner parties they had. I had to show their friends my report card to show how clever I was. A straight ‘A’ student–I had to be. And once I gave the illusion of being the perfect child, I was sent to my room.
It’s the reason my father is so adamant he wanted me to follow him into law. He wanted his perfectly educated daughter to take over his business. Not once did they listen to me. Not once did they hear me tell them I preferred the arts.
I don’t pretend I’m a perfect artist. I can’t draw intricate details to save my life. But I love color. I love vibrancy on a page. I love how it makes me feel happy.
Just like I have since the day I came to live with Bast, Hettie, and Havana. They’ve turned my black and white world into color.
Mom is still gasping at Bast, probably not bothered one iota that I’ve mentioned not having any love. She just hates that others can see through her perfectly coiffured life for the joke it is.
And just as she always does. She gets angry and turns to Bast with a scowl. “Geri was more than eager to call me this morning and ask if it was my Bree on a date with Doctor Havers.”
“You know her?” Bast asks.
“We go back years.”
“And Geri knows nothing. I was Bast’s plus one. It wasn’t a date and if your friend wasn’t so fucking rude...”
“Breanna—“ my father hisses. “Language.”
“I won’t swear again, but not because of you, but because I don’t want Hettie and Havana to overhear.”
“You’ve changed, Breanna,” my father says before he turns to Bast. “And you’ve betrayed me.”
Mom interrupts, so she can continue and take over as usual. “She saw you coming out of a room, both flustered.”
I sigh.
Bast clears his throat as he looks at me for a moment before he says, “She followed us, because she was jealous I was with Bree.”
