Page 16 of Arranged Scars
I march downstairs. Finn follows, pausing in the kitchen. I spin on him, humiliated and angry. I feel betrayed and torn to pieces. “I don’t care what my dad’s going to do to me. Whatever it is, it can’t be worse than being your wife for the rest of my life.”
“Are you sure about that?” He’s watching me carefully like he’s trying to gauge my reaction. “Why did you move away from home, Caroline?”
“Because I wanted to. Screw this, I’m not spending another second here.”
“Why did you run away from them?” My heart’s going to explode. I walk fast to the front door. I can’t stay here a second longer. “Why clean apartments when you could be living in a mansion?”
I stop in the foyer. “I’m through with this.”
“Come to work tomorrow.”
I spit out a laugh. “Why the hell would I do that?”
“Because if you do, one day, I swear, this whole apartment will be yours.”
My laugh dies on my lips. He doesn’t look like he’s joking, but that makes no sense. “It’ll be ours, you mean. Since you still think we’re getting married.”
He shakes his head slowly. “No. Yours. Alone. Keep showing up to work until the wedding, and one day, I swear it on my life, you’ll have all this.”
The idea is tempting. I hate myself for even considering it. I’m not sure what he’s offering exactly, but I can imagine some kind of arrangement where we live separately after a set period. That could work too: my father doesn’t care if we share a bed, so long as we stay married and keep the alliance alive.
“How can I trust you? After what you did? You just got done telling me that you hate me and want to hurt me.”
“I do hate you. I do want to hurt you. But I’m not stupid. We need each other now, Caroline. We’re trapped in this together. Ihave about as much say in this marriage as you do. We might as well learn to live with it.”
“You’re an absolute freak.”
“You have no idea how right you are.”
I shake my head and pull open the door. “I’ll come back tomorrow night if you swear you won’t be here.”
“I can’t make that promise.”
I laugh bitterly. “Of course you can’t. That’s the whole point, right? To keep torturing me?”
“No, it’s not.” His voice softens. For a second, he seems almost human. But I know better. He’s just a parrot wearing human skin and making people noises. “I’ll do my best to stay away. Just keep coming back. I don’t care if all you do is sauna and swim.”
“Why? I seriously don’t get it.”
“Because—” He seems to struggle with himself. He looks away. “I want a place where we can talk honestly with each other.”
I glare at him. I’m sick of the cryptic game. All I know is this guy knew we were getting married, but he didn’t tell me about it. Instead, he hired me to clean his apartment and then he fucked me without saying a damn thing.
“I’ll think about it.”
I slam the door shut behind me. Finn doesn’t follow, which is a relief. I lug my stuff back into the elevator and ride it down, not caring if my legs are still slightly damp and I forgot my stupid shoes in the pool dome.
Going back here would be a huge mistake. There’s no doubt in my mind Finn’s playing with me again.
But the prospect of having that gorgeous apartment all to myself one day…
I could swim whenever. Sauna whenever. I’d have that gourmet kitchen, that amazing living room with its incredible views.
I’d have a place of my own.
No family, no brothers, no father, nobody to tell me what to do.
I’m marrying Finn. Even if I hate him now too, that’s not going to change. He knows it and I know it. Now, this is about setting myself up and making the best of a bad situation.
