Chapter 3

Dahlias POV

The silence after Vincent's words was really loud. I could hear my heartbeat as it was so loud. It was like my heart was beating in my ears.

"What is she doing here?" He said again, his voice sounding cold and disgusted like I was some bug under his shoe.

I felt my face get hot with embarrassment. It felt like I should disappear. I wanted to hide. I wanted the floor to open and swallow me up. I wanted to run out of this house and never come back, but I could not move. My feet felt stuck to the marble floor and my throat felt like it was too tight to talk.

Robert's face looked angry. "Vincent, that is no way to talk to your sister!” he tried to say calmly. You could see that he was really trying to hold himself back.

“She is not my sister." He kept looking at me with hateful eyes. "She is nothing! She is a nobody. She and her mother does not belong in this house!”

Robert opened his mouth to say something but Vincent cut him off. 

"I said no!" he said in a voice. "I do not want her here. I do not want either of them here. This is our house. They do not belong here."

My mothers hand found mine. Her fingers were cold and shaking. I could feel her trembling beside me. I knew she was scared like me.

Roberts' voice was loud and sharp. "Vincent, that is enough!" he thundered. "I will not have you talk to my fiancée and her daughter like that in my house. You will say sorry now."

Vincent's jaw looked tight. I could see him thinking about what to do. He wanted to argue. Something in his fathers voice made him stop.

 "I do not have anything to say sorry for ". His voice was quieter now. He did not sound so sure.

Robert said "You will say sorry.. You will not be joining us at the table until you can behave like someone tonnage a brain!”

Vincent looked at his father at me then at my mother. I could see the anger in his eyes. I also saw something else. Something that looked like fear. He was afraid of his father.

"I am sorry" he said in a low voice. He did not look at us when he said it. He stared at the floor like it had done something to him.

"That is better." His voice was a little softer now. "Now, I want to talk to you. In my study. Now."

Vincent did not argue. He just walked away. His footsteps were heavy on the marble floor. Robert followed him. Before he left he turned back to us and smiled.

"I am so sorry about that," he said. "Please make yourselves comfortable. I will not be long."

Then he was gone, walking down the hallway after his son. I stood there with my mother in the entrance hall. We were surrounded by marble and crystal and beautiful artworks on the wall. I felt really small.

"Oh baby it is going to be okay. I promise you. It is going to be okay." My mother whispered

I shook my head against her shoulder, my hands trembling. "No, Mama. It is not. He hates me. He hates us. He is never going to like us."

"Shh, baby. It does not matter if he likes us. What matters is that we have each other. We are going to be fine. We are going to get through this. We always do." My mother said

I felt tears on my cheeks. I tried to hold them back but I could not. Everything was just sudden and too much. The scholarship, the money problems, my mothers surgery, Vincent's words and now this. It was all too much. A soft sob escaped my lips. 

I whispered "I love you Mama."

My mother said "I love you too baby. More than anything in this world. I am going to make sure you have everything you need. I promise."

We stood there for a time holding each other in the middle of that big cold house. I could hear Roberts' voice coming from down the hallway. I could not make out the words. I could hear the serious tone. Vincent's voice answered sometimes but it was never loud enough to challenge his father.

My mother held me like she was never going to let me go.

After a while, Robert came back and he came back alone.

"I apologize again for my son's behavior. This change is hard on some kids. Vincent is going through a time right now.. I want you both to know that you are welcome here. This is your home now. Please make yourselves comfortable." He said

My mother nodded, her hand still holding mine. "Thank you Robert."

He smiled, but it was a small one. He looked guilty. "Vincent will not be eating with us tonight," he said. "He is going to take some time to think about his behavior. I think it is better if he stays in his room for now."

My mother nodded again. I could see the relief in her eyes even though she tried to hide it. I felt the relief too.

Robert led us into the dining room. The table was huge with lots of food and fancy glasses. I had never eaten at a table like this before and I did not know what to do with my hands.

"Please make yourselves at home." Robert said

We started to eat. The food was delicious. I could barely swallow. My stomach was like it was tied in knots. Every bite felt like I was forcing it down.

My mother and Robert started talking about the wedding and the house. Robert kept holding my mothers hand. She kept smiling at him like he was the person in the world.

I sat there in silence pushing my food around my plate.

"Dahlia are you okay? You have barely touched your food." Robert asked

I said "I am fine. I am just a little tired. It has been a day."

"Of course of course. You must be exhausted. Why don't you go up? There is a bathroom down the hall. David will show you the way." 

A servant came around, his face warm but expressionless. "If you will follow me, miss."

I stood up, happy to get away from the table. My mother squeezed my hand as I passed her eyes telling me everything will be okay.

"Don't worry, sweetheart,” she whispered. "Everything is going to be okay."

I followed the servant out of the dining room.

The servant led me through the house. I tried to remember where I was going but everything looked the same. Artworks filled the walls of the hallway.

I was never going to find my way around this place.

"Here you are, miss. Ring this bell if you need anything." The servant said, pointing at a bell just outside the wall beside the door.

"Thank you." I said quietly.

He nodded and walked away leaving me alone in the empty hallway.

I pushed open the door and went into the bathroom. It was fancy with marble and gold. I locked the door behind me and leaned against it, closing my eyes. I took a breath.

I was okay. I was going to be okay. My mother was right. We had each other. We were going to get through this. We had been through times before.

I just had to get through the few months. I had to keep my head down. I had to stay away from Vincent Carrington. I had to survive.

I used the toilet and came out, washing my hands. The water was warm and I let it run over my fingers for a long time. I splashed some on my face trying to wake myself up. I looked at my reflection in the mirror.

I dried my hands and unlocked the door. I took a breath and stepped out into the hallway.

Then I froze.

Because Vincent Carrington was standing in front of me.

I did not even have time to react. His hand closed around my neck pushing me back into the bathroom. My back slammed against the wall knocking the breath out of my lungs. His body was pressed against mine, his face inches from my face.

“What do you think you are doing here,” he said in an angry voice. “What is your plan, scholarship mouse?” he asked. “You think you can just walk into my house and act like you belong here like you are part of my family?”

"I don't..." I gasped, trying to push him off. "I don't have a plan. I didn't want to come here. My mother—"

"Your mother," he spat. "Your pathetic, desperate mother who will do anything for money. She's just like all the others. She's just using my father for his money. And you—" He squeezed my neck harder. "You're even worse. You think you can use me? You think I'll just roll over and accept you?"

"I don't want anything from you," I choked out. "I swear. I just… our parents like each other and I have nothing to do with it!”

He stared at me for a long moment. His blue eyes were cold and hard, but there was something else flickering behind them. Something I couldn't identify.

"I would make your life a living hell," he said softly. "I would make sure you regret ever setting foot in this house. I would make you wish you had never been born."

"Please," I whispered. "Please, Vincent. I won't bother you. I'll stay out of your way. I promise. Just please let me go."

He didn't move. His hand was still on my neck, but his grip had loosened slightly. He was staring at me. Staring at my face. Then his eyes shifted to my lips.

And then he leaned closer.

I could smell him and that expensive cologne. I smelled something in him that made my heart race for reasons I didn't want to admit.

He leaned closer, his lips almost touching mine. 

"Vincent," I breathed. "Please."

But he didn't let go. He stayed there, his lips so close to mine I could feel his breath on my skin. His eyes were searching my face, looking for something. Then, it shifted into something different and mischievous. 

And then, slowly, he leaned in and pressed his lips against mine.

I froze. My brain stopped working. I couldn't think. I couldn't breathe. All I could feel was his mouth on mine, warm and soft and completely unexpected.

It only lasted a second. Maybe less. But it felt like an eternity.

And then there was a knock at the door.

I tried to pull away, but he gripped my neck tight and I gasped into his mouth.

The door swung open.

My mother stood in the doorway. Her eyes went wide. Her face went pale. She looked at me, then at Vincent, then back at me.

"Dahlia?" she said, her voice trembling. "What... what is going on here?”