Page 163 of Forbidden Forget-Me-Not

Feigning innocence, I shrugged.

“What? Is it not the truth?”

“Do not be rude.”

“I didn’t realize speaking the truth was considered rude nowadays.” I crossed my arms. “Or is that only when fragile male egos are involved?” I would cherish the wide-eyed look on my father’s face forever. Before he recovered I gestured toward the line-up of cars. “Which one am I in?”

“You can ride with me,” Julian offered, pointing to the shiny black sports car he had been posing against.

“Great. Let’s get going.”

I marched straight to the car and opened the door myself instead of waiting for someone else to do it. The men stared at me as I got in and pulled it shut.

My father gave me a death glare.

Too fucking bad.

He told me to marry Julian. I never agreed to be happy about it.

“Do you have a music preference,” Julian asked as he slid into the driver’s seat, and the car rumbled to life.

“No.”

I turned away, staring out the passenger window, fingers absently playing with the gold ring on my necklace.

“Would you like to talk about the wedding?”

“Is it my sunny disposition making you think that’s acceptable conversation?”

He sighed, gripping the steering wheel a little tighter. He reached into his suit jacket and pulled out the ring box I’d given back to him.

“Here.” He held it out.

Is this guy thick?

“If I didn’t want to talk about the wedding, what makes you think I want to put on that ring?”

When I didn’t move to he sighed and put it back in his suit jacket. Which was the smartest decision since I’d planned on throwing it out the window if he forced me to take it.

“Okay…what would you like to talk about?”

“How far is the drive?”

“Close to forty minutes.”

“Great. Wake me when we get there,” I said, closing my eyes.

Sleep wouldn’t come. I found myself staring at the world as it passed. The road wound along cliffs high above the sea. White villas dotted the hills. Olive trees lined the properties’ walls.

It was beautiful, a complete contrast to how I felt. Everything inside me was dark, as if someone had snuffed out my light. Every time I shut my eyes, all I saw was Goran chasing after the car.

Julian tapped my shoulder, and I jerked, my head whipping in his direction, ready to hit him if needed.

“We’re here.”

That didn’t help me relax. The car slowed and turned into a driveway. The gates here were twice as tall as the ones at our home in Cali. They opened silently, like the jaws of a monster ready to swallow us whole. I spotted the guards immediately, their dark uniforms standing out against the bright, lush, and colorful landscape.

The mansion rose above the coastline. Stone façade. Terracotta roof. Endless glass windows reflecting the ocean. Masculine dominance carved into architecture.