Page 45 of Vicious Little Liar
“No.” It’s the truth. Yet it changes nothing.
“Neither of us can rewrite your fate.”
I know. No matter what, Papá will marry me off. If not to Maxim, then to someone else. Someone he can just as easily control and manipulate.
“Choose me.” Andrés’s eyes simmer with intensity.
“I thought we established this. I don’t get to choose.”
“You do.”
No. I don’t. This is not the land of make-believe. It’s not real or true just because he says so. I’m engaged to Maxim. It doesn’t matter that I’m with Andrés right now. My father will never let him keep me. And encouraging him to do so is too much of a risk. To both my body and my heart.
“Do you believe Maxim can make you happy?”
I don’t bother to answer. My happiness isn’t a priority.
“Will he protect and cherish you?”
I snort. Hardly.
“We both know the answer to those questions,” he says.
I close my eyes but the brush of his hand on my cheek has me snapping them back open. “You’re angry. And you have every right to be. But don’t close the door on you and me over pride. A future with Maxim isn’t a pleasant one.”
Does he think I don’t know that? I’m making lemonade out of lemons because this is the hand I’ve been dealt. This is how I survive.
“But we have a future, Leti. A real one. A future of mutual respect. Of understanding. I am the king of this cartel. You won’t just be my wife. You will be my queen.”
My breath catches.
“My equal.”
Emotion lodges in my throat. “You’re still using me.”
“I am.” And there it is. Out in the open.
A moment of silence blankets the room. Tilting my head away, I look down at my hands, chipping at the dark red polish on my thumb. I’m just so … tired. Of being used. Sold. Passed around.
I had my life figured out. It wasn’t ideal, but it worked. Six months. I only needed to push through the next six months. But to be treated as an equal—
Shaking my head, I worry my bottom lip.
No.It isn’t enough. As though he sees the decision forming in my head, he places his hand over mine and says, “You could go to school.”
“What?” My breath catches, and my gaze snaps to his.
His eyes move over my face. “You always said you wanted to go to school. You wanted to study graphic design, right?”
My nod is hesitant.
An encouraging smile curls the corner of his mouth. “With me, you could.”
Hope blossoms in my chest. “You’d let me get an education?” My duty is to marry someone who benefits my family and to produce a handful of heirs. Men in the life don’t want an educated woman by their side. They want a submissive one. A woman who will not question their decisions and who will accept her place. Quiet and in the corner.
Andrés is younger than other Capos. More progressive. But I never would have believed—
“If that’s what you want. Yes.”
