Page 179 of Let Me Keep You

“Which means he could literally hold this over your head for years. If you don’t do what he asks during your marriage, he’ll throw it at you again. You’ll be miserable, Gemma. You can’t marry him,” she pleads. “There has to be a way out of this without jeopardizing your dad.”

“I’m listening,” I say between tears. “Because I can’t think of any solutions.”

“Make him sign the deed over to you. Negotiate a deal with him. A trade, of sorts. He gets the wife and kids, and you get what you want too. After a year, file for a divorce.”

“A divorce? He’d never go for that. That’d be against his values.”

“Well, then leave that part out for now and just say the only way you’ll agree to marrying him is if after the wedding, you get the deed in your name. I mean, that’s pretty damn reasonable because if you’re miserable, you’ll make his life miserable too. Tell him that.”

I swallow hard, contemplating it. “But I still lose. I’ll be married to him, forced to have his children, and won’t get to be with Tyler.” I let out a sob. “The only man I’ve ever loved.”

“Well, yeah…there’s that part.” Her voice softens. “I’m so sorry, Gemma. Want me to kill him for you?”

I snort, wiping my cheeks. “No. It would only make things worse. There has to be something I can do to get out of marrying him and get the paperwork signed over to me, like you said.”

“You’ll think of something.”

Katie and I speak for a few more minutes until I let her go.

Next, I call my father.

“Daddy,” I say, trying to keep it together.

“Hey, sweetie. You didn’t come over for breakfast this morning, so I went to the deli and chatted with Belinda.”

“Shoot, sorry, I forgot to tell you I wouldn’t make it today.”

“That’s okay. What’s wrong?”

I chuckle at how he just knows.

“I need to ask you something, but promise you’ll be honest with me, even if it’s not something I wanna hear.”

“Alright,” he says cautiously. “What is it?”

I ask about the second mortgage, the almost foreclosure, and if Robert owns the property. Then I tell him about Robert’s threats.

“It’s true,” he responds in a somber tone.

“Daddy, no…” I hold back from more tears falling. “Why didn’t you ever tell me? I could’ve helped.” I would’ve taken out a loan or picked up a second job to help pay the mortgage.

“I was ashamed and embarrassed. I’m supposed to be taking care of you and had no idea he’d use it as motivation to blackmail you. I thought he was helping so the house would stay in the family. Gemma, I’m so sorry.” He chokes up.

“Don’t apologize, this isn’t your fault. I’m gonna find a way. I won’t let him do this.”

“Don’t marry him because of me, sweetie. You told me it was over, and I can see how much you love Tyler. He can threaten it all he wants, but it doesn’t mean he will.”

“You don’t know him like I do, Daddy. He’s a monster. Movers are emptying the cottage as we speak because he’s forcing me to live with him. If I don’t, he’ll take everything.”

“Gemma, you listen to me,” he says sternly. “If he takes the land and the house, so be it. I won’t trade any of this for your happiness.”

My mother’s cottage is everything to me, and it’s all I have left of her. I’ll be damned if I let him take that away from me too.

“I’ll think of something,” I confirm, hoping I actually will. “For now, I’ll play his game and somehow get him to do what I want for once.”

Katie had a good idea, but I’m not sure what it will take for him to agree with that either.

We talk for a few more minutes, and when Robert strolls toward my car, I end the call. I gotta put on my game face and not let him think he can push me around.