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Celeste sighs. Shit, now I’m putting her in a position where she’d have to lie to her husband.

Finn huffs. “If you wanted to invest, you should have asked us for advice. What were you thinking?”

Fuck. I spin around, fighting the tears of frustration. “I was thinking I can take care of myself. That I don’t need my overbearing brothers to pamper me. That I can learn from my own mistakes like the rest of the world.”

“Bambi.” Finn sighs.

All the sighing and huffing and patronizing.

“I made a mistake. I’m correcting it.”

“With Cormac fucking Quinn? You’d rather have him help you than us?” Cal raises his eyebrow.

“Oh, so it’s your ego that is hurt? This is not about you. It’s my life.”

Both my brothers flinch. I feel like shit. They love me. They expect me to trust them with my problems.

Don’t they get it, though? This is not about my relationship with them. This is about my relationship with me.

“It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement. I thought you had something to gain as well,” I accuse Cal.

He snorts. “There are plenty of women out there that could marry him.”

“Well, it’s me who got the honor. So back off. I’m sorry I didn’t get the chance to tell you before the media circus started, but that’s the only thing I’m sorry about.”

“So what’s the plan? You will just get your trust fund and divorce him?” Finn shakes his head.

“Yes, and I’d need you to pretend you’re happy for me at the wedding, because this is a huge photo op for Corm.” I fold my arms across my chest and look at Cal. “And for Merged.”

“But he hurt you,” Cal protests, practically jumping from his seat. Celeste puts her hand on his thigh. He glances at her, and his jaw relaxes.

“He didn’t hurt me. And it doesn’t matter. It happened years ago, and some teenage mistakes are completely irrelevant. In fact, the two of you are the only ones still feeding that history.”

Suddenly, it feels completely irrelevant what happened back then. They try to control my life, motivated by care and love, but still. First my parents, then my brothers. And now… fuck, now mydearfiancé.

Finn bows his head, shaking it. “As long as you’re happy.”

I wouldn’t go as far as being happy.“Everything is fine.”

“I’m going to kill him if he hurts you.” Cal stands and walks to a liquor cabinet hidden in his bookcase.

Not if I kill him first.“Thank you for your concern. I love you both, but I need you to let me fight my own battles.”

“Fuck, Bambi, fight your own battles, but don’t hesitate to ask for help.”

Is that what I’m doing? Am I refusing the help foolishly? Believing it’s a quest for independence?

I return to the empty house. Tired, but unable to sleep. Hungry, but not interested in eating. Bored, but unsure what to do.

I pour myself a glass of wine, and without bothering with the lights, I pad over to the living room.

Sitting on the bench in the window overlooking the garden, I pull my phone out. In the absence of my daily dose of attention from cameras, I decide to dive into the virtual world where I can pretend just like anybody else.

I miss living with Cora, and having a human conversation served with takeout.

Something prompts me to turn on the camera. The lighting is off. I look like I haven’t slept in days and just argued with my brothers.

I look like me. I take a few pictures. No filter. No pretense.