She sighs and crosses her arms over her chest. “He’s not here. He left in a rush last night after you two went outside. Care to tell me what happened?”
I blink. “He didn’t stay the night?”
She rolls her eyes and steps toward me. “I just told you he left last night. What happened?”
My stepmother has a thing for gossip. She always wants to know everything about everybody. I refuse to allow her to insert herself into my business, however, because that big mouth of hers will tell my father and her friends. But if I tell her nothing, she’ll bug me until I crack and spill everything.
“We had a little misunderstanding,” I say.
Carolyn looks me over, her dainty eyebrows pinching with a frown that she smooths out as fast as it appeared. “You didn’t come back in last night. Where did you go?”
Shit. She knows.
“I had a friend pick me up so I could crash at her place.”
Carolyn narrows her eyes. “Which friend?”
“Does it matter? I don’t have to answer to you.”
“You’re my daughter and I worry about you.” She scoffs. “Is that too much for you?”
“Leave me alone.”
I storm past her and into the kitchen. I don’t know what I’m doing here when I want to lock myself in my bedroom and soak in the bathtub to ease the aches.
Carolyn follows me. “Why are you getting so defensive when I’m just asking questions?”
I grab a chilled water bottle from the fridge and pop the cap off before I drink half of it in just a few gulps.
“Madison, I’m talking to you.”
I roll my eyes and stride past her, heading out of the kitchen so I can get away from her. Carolyn grabs my shoulder, jerking me back and forcing me to look at her.
My heart pounds against my chest, and my hands tremble. I’m so tired of having to answer to people who think they have full control of my life. Is it too much to ask for some privacy and a sense of freedom without someone breathing down my neck to know where I’m at, who I’m with, where I’ve been, and so on?
“I’m twenty-one years old and don’t need to tell you everything. I’m here, aren’t I?” I try to keep my voice steady, but a few words come out squeaky, which only makes me more frustrated with myself.
Carolyn clutches her pearls, her long, skinny fingers splayed over her chest. “Who do you think you are, talking to me like that?”
“Obviously not your daughter, so don’t act like I am. I’m so tired of everyone in this hellhole wanting to control me without ever giving a shit about me.”
Carolyn narrows her eyes. “No one is controlling you.”
“Yes, you are! You’re making me marry that asshole when I’ve made it clear that I don’t want him.”
She steps closer to me, her expression turning thunderous. “You’ve known you’d be part of an arranged marriage since you were ten, so don’t act like this is something new. You’ve had plenty of freedom to do whatever you want. You had a normal childhood.” She reaches toward me, and I jerk back before she can touch me. “Honey, I think you’re having a serious case of cold feet now that the wedding is around the corner. It’ll be fine. Justin is a great kid and will take?—”
A cold breeze puffs against my backside.
Carolyn turns her attention past my shoulder, and her scowl morphs into a gentler expression. “Oh, good. You’re awake. How do you feel about spending the day with me?”
I stand frozen with my heart in my throat.
Don’t look.
Don’t look.
Act normal, even though you want to get an eyeful of your sexy-as-sin brother.
