Page 64 of Forbidden Forget-Me-Not

“Stop,” Titus ordered, his voice firm.

There was a sharp inhale on the other end of the line.

“You will not speak about Kaylani like that. She deserves a life and to have fun with her friends, just like the rest of us. She wasn’t walking the streets selling her body like you’re making it sound. And you’ve certainly embarrassed this family far worse than she ever could.”

“How dare you?” Father spat.

I’d never heard Titus speak to Father like this.

“Put her on,” Dimitri demanded. “I’ll deal with her myself.”

“I already told you, she’s asleep,” Titus replied calmly.

Dimitri laughed, harsh and humorless. “Don’t insult me. I know she is awake and probably sitting right beside you.”

Titus took a slow sip of his tea.

“Even if she is, you are not speaking to her tonight.”

“You don’t get to decide that. She is my daughter.”

“And she is my sister. I won’t allow you to speak down to her.”

The silence that followed was heavy. Then my father exploded.

“Only a slut behaves like that in public. No respectable man will take her now. She needs to be married before she ruins herself completely. You tell her she cannot ignore me forever.”

The words were a smack that made my eyes sting.

Slut? He thinks I’m a slut?

Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to let them fall. Even if he couldn’t see me, I wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of making me cry.

My hands curled around my mug as I stared at the liquid, unable to look at Titus without falling apart.

Titus didn’t raise his voice.

“Never let me hear you call Kaylani that again. You know that is far from the truth, and you will not disrespect my sister like that,” he growled into the phone.

A shiver raced down my spine. He sounded deadly, like he’d been pushed too far. I bit my lip.

“The only thing you’re accomplishing is destroying what’s left of this family,” Titus said, his tone lower but no less lethal. “You are too arrogant to realize that you’re blaming your daughter for the consequences of a world you built.”

“You are treading in dangerous waters, son,” Dimitri shot back. “You have always undermined me, but one day it will stop.”

“You’re right. It will.”

I looked up at Titus. His amber eyes were full of fire, holding something final. I understood then that there were lines even Father should not cross when it came to Titus.

“I would think long and hard before you decide to embark down that road. Because there will be no coming back from it.”

There was a long pause.

“You will not shame her,” Titus continued. “You will not threaten her. And you will not use this as leverage to force her into something she does not want.”

“You are not in charge of this family, Titus, no matter what you may think,” Dimitri hissed.

“I think,” Titus replied evenly, “that you should consider the fact that the only person losing control right now is you.”