Meadow’s POV: ‘The woman I thought would bear my grandchildren.’That was what Ingrid had announced in front of everybody. In front of Alaric’s own wife. In front of me.Guests were clinking their glasses together, laughing at Ingrid’s words all while cheering for and welcoming Yvonne.“Meadow.”I could hear Alaric next to me, but his voice sounded so far away. It wasn’t just him. Yvonne had lied to me too, telling me they had just a one-night stand when it was obviously more than that.Yvonne scanned the crowd, and when her eyes zoned on me, she smirked.Smirked.This time, when Alaric pulled me away, I didn’t stop him. I followed him mindlessly to the car. I was too stunned to say a word, still trying to process this.Before the incident happened with my parents, Yvonne was practically non-existent. We only knew that our mother had a sister but we hadn’t met her before. She lived with her parents—our grandparents, until all of a sudden, she showed up at twenty-one and said she was
Meadow’s POV: The moment Alaric’s lips captured mine, fireworks exploded in my heart. I melted, knees buckling underneath me, but the firm grip he had on my waist held me up.He pulled back for a second, his chest heaving as his gaze shifted from my lips to my eyes. I didn’t say a word. I couldn’t.But Alaric seemed to be way past the point of patience.“Fuck me,” he rasped right before his lips crashed down on mine again in an even fiercer kiss this time. I sighed into his mouth.The kiss was nothing like I thought it would be. It far exceeded my expectations. Alaric’s mouth was warm, his tongue firm and demanding, taking what it wanted without asking permission. I held onto the lapels of his jacket to ground myself even as he pressed me further into the side of the car.My arms slid to his neck and I wrapped them around it, sliding my hand through his hair. Alaric shuddered beneath my touch, groaning into my mouth as he quickly lifted me up.I moaned in response, wrapping my thigh
Meadow’s POV:I’d asked Yvonne to head out of the bathroom first in case anyone was watching us closely—especially Alaric.But now, as I watched them from a distance, I realized how big of a fucking mistake I made by doing that. I should never have trusted her.Should never have trusted that she would keep my secret.And judging from the look on Alaric’s face, I didn’t have much time with him. He looked pissed as he listened to whatever she was telling him about me.My heart beat thundered against my ribcage as I wondered what exactly she was telling him. That she was my aunt? That I was from an influential family? Formerly influential, anyway.Or was she telling him about my deadbeat father who had been locked in prison for over ten years?Either way, who knew what he was going to do to me when he found out that I was deceiving him?I didn’t want to think about the alternative. Didn’t want to consider the other reason that they might have been talking. Reminiscing on the time they’d
Alaric’s POV: I hated the parties my mother threw. They were always filled with self-absorbed asshole relatives who never stopped believing that their opinions were needed in affairs that concerned my own fucking life.Delusional? Yes, they were. And I could just as easily tell them to stay the fuck away from me, but I wasn’t in such a bad mood tonight.First, after what Meadow did for me, touching my hand as if she sensed that I was losing my cool earlier, it made me feel a sense of relief. Lifted this fucking heavy rock off my chest that I had no idea was even there.I hadn’t felt that way in a long time.So I figured the least I could do was behave, nod through a couple of conversations while she took care of her business in the bathroom.Which, if I had to admit, was a long fucking time to be in the bathroom.“Enjoying himself at a party?” My brother’s voice cut through my thoughts. “Never Ric Ashford. Nuh-uh. Not my brother. I’m not even sure the word “fun” exists in your stick-
Meadow’s POV: Yvonne stepped further into the bathroom, her heels clicking against the tiles as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.“Oh yeah?” she scoffed. “I mean, you ran away from me the moment you turned eighteen because you couldn’t stand being around me, but sure, Meadow. Long time no see.”I clenched my jaw.Yvonne was only ten years older than Juniper and me. When the incident happened with my parents and we were practically orphaned, she was nearly done with college and offered to take us in right when they were considering putting us in foster homes.She raised us for eight years, and she was right. The moment I turned eighteen, I left and never looked back. But Juniper followed me—per usual.My brows drew together. “That’s not why I left.You know I left because of that scholarship.”I needed to get away from that city, from that life—even if Juniper trailing me halfway across the country defeated the entire purpose. But I was content. Because I’d received a scholar
Meadow’s POV: My brows drew together in confusion as I froze.“What?”The expression on Ingrid’s face was the complete opposite of what I’d seen when she was talking to me and Alaric. The smile had been replaced with a sneer, the soft touch replaced with a hard grip around my wrist.“You heard me…Meadow, is it?” She scoffed. “How much did my son pay you to marry him?” Her gaze dropped to my wrist. “And how much extra did he pay you to come here and pretend like he can feel your touch?”My nostrils flared and I snatched my wrist out of her grip. I suppose I read her welcoming attitude wrongly. She didn’t like me, and she’d been waiting to single me out without Alaric present.And clearly, she suspected that our marriage was a sham—which it was. But no one except for Alaric and I was supposed to know that. “Ingrid, I don’t…”She let out a mocking laugh, her blue eyes flashing with something I couldn’t understand.“I may be oblivious to certain things, Meadow, but I am not stupid.” T