"Well, Mr. Hawthorne, I think you're missing a link. Your son. I don't think he wants to get married anytime soon, let alone to me."
"You leave that part to me. Trust me, he will ask you to marry him. When the time comes, you must say yes."
"Carey doesn't like me like that," I said, more to myself than to him.
Nolan scoffed. "That boy has been obsessed with you ever since he started masturbating. So what do you say? Are you in or out?" The crude language startled me, but not enough for me to leave the room. With a snap of the fingers, he had given my mother a possible life extension. He was determined to have me as his daughter-in-law and I had a sinking suspicion he wouldn't take no for an answer. It seemed fate was working against me. Telling me to take the devil's deal. I extended my hand. He shook it as his mouth widened into an unsettling smile.
Chapter 8
Thalia
OUR WEDDING WASprobably the coldest summer wedding ever. Not because of the weather, no, but because of the frosty divide between the bride and groom. You wouldn't have guessed it from the photos, though. Or even from the way we behaved around the guests. Carey acted like a sweet and loving groom, while I reciprocated equally, but each time he touched me, I felt the ice in his hands and each time he kissed me; I felt the emptiness in the fake affection. By the time the wedding was over and we were on our way to our Nolan Hawthorne Sr mandated honeymoon, I knew something was definitely wrong.
The flight to Mykonos was eerily quiet. Carey sat on one end of the jet and made it clear without saying anything that he didn't want to be disturbed, giving me no choice but to sit on the other end. Even the stewards could tell something was not right, but they were professional enough not to be obvious. When we arrived on his family's yacht in Greece, a boat too large to fit into the harbor, Carey went to the bedroom and shut himself there. I was left to deal with the staff and pretend everything was okay as I ate dinner on my own on the deck under the Greek sky. It was a beautiful location for a honeymoon; I had to admit, and the food was superb, but much as I tried, I couldn't swallow much of it.
After several tries of stuffing the perfectly made souvlaki down, I gave up and decided it was now or never. I had to confront him. As I marched down the gilded oak and white boat, each step towards the master bedroom felt heavier, like I was dragging my feet down the plush white carpet. I opened the double shiny oak doors, thinking he was asleep. He wasn't. He was awake, sitting on one of the cream chairs at the small round table, eyes glued to a laptop. My husband was working? On his honeymoon? "We can't go on like this," I announced as soon as I closed the door.
He took a deep, exasperated breath and closed the laptop. He leaned back in his chair, facing me. The bored expression he put on unnerved me and I went tongue-tied. "Go on like what, Thalia?"
I gathered my courage. "You have been cold to me. Ignoring me. We were on our honeymoon and I ate supper alone. That's weird. You haven't been the same for a week now, and I need to know why."
"You're a smart girl. Work it out."
If I had done anything to upset him, I'm sure he would have told me. This coldness was not him. "Did I do something wrong?"
He scoffed. "You sound so innocent when you speak. Was that part of the training?"
"T-training?"
He got up and stalked up to me until he was standing a couple of feet away. His menacing stance terrified me, but was mesmerizing enough that I simply stood in place. "Our first meeting wasn't by chance, was it? I should have guessed. You pretty much told me and I didn't want to listen. The way you acted like you didn't want me," he shook his head, "it was so I could want you more, wasn't it? So I could pursue you. Make mefeel like I was the one begging for time with you when all of it was orchestrated."
Oh no. He knew. "It wasn't like that at all."
He crossed his arms against his chest. "So you're saying my father didn't pay you to seduce me?"
"No. I didn't receive any money from him." Except for that check he gave me, which I tore and trashed.
"Don't play with me Thalia. I know he gave you a check.For services rendered."
The world around me shook as I recalled the night he was referring to. "It was you listening?"
"Surprised your little scheme is now out in the open."
"Carey, please, it's not like that at all. For what it's worth, I didn't take the money. I can explain."
"Go ahead."
I wanted to tell him everything that happened, my reasons for accepting his father's deal, later rejecting it, accepting it again, but as I tried to formulate an explanation, my mind drew a blank. How was I to explain my flip flopping without making myself look like I was greedy? I couldn't tell him the real reason. Nolan Hawthorne had already proven to me he could easily reverse course if I let his son know.
"Tongue tied?" He raised his eyebrows. The disdain on his face was plain to see. Every part of his body exuded rejection and hate that felt painful to receive.
"If I tell you I can't give you the reason, will you believe me?"
He smirked and shook his head. "Was it worth it? I guess it is now that you have pretty much achieved your teenage dream. I don't know how I had forgotten how much you wanted to be part of our family."
"That's not—"
"Really? Because I remember the little diary entry you made talking about how you'll one day become a Hawthorne and signed it Thalia Hawthorne."
