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Once again, I turned, but I moved slowly, my rage-filled eyes locking on his. “Fucked up?Fucked up?Are youserious? You and yourbestie,Damian, thought it would be awesome to embarrass me in front of the whole class, but you didn’t give two shits about the consequences. You just wanted to push me away like always, so you didn’t get your little baby toddler feelings hurt.” I scoffed and rolled my eyes. “Fucking pathetic. Some big man, you are.”
My gaze fell on Harper again. “And what could youpossiblyhave to say to me? Because foronce,little sister, I have nothing to say to you.” I looked over at Asher. “Yeah, that’s right. Harper is my sister. Rick is my biological dad. Please…pleasetell everyone. Go tell Damian. He’ll put it in the fuckingNew York Times. Let’s see how fast we can get someone to finish the job because my head issplitting. You’d be doing me a favor, really.”
Harper’s eyes were wide with shock.
“What, Harper? Clearly, I don’t give a rat’s ass anymore.”
“I—I’m sorry. Temperance, I’m so,sosorry,” she said, tears welling in her eyes.
“You’re only sorry becauseyourfather cut you off. You’re only sorry becauseyourfather won’t speak to you right now.”
She shook her head, looking down at the floor. “Mom won’t, either.”
I lifted my hands, palms up. “Oh, well,there’sa shocker. Mother of the year, that one. Look, Harper, part of me really wants to feel bad for you, but foronce, that part is buried under a metric ton of rage and hostility. Idon’tcare, and it feels fucking amazing. Every time I lifted a board to add to the bridge I tried building between us, you soaked it in lighter fluid and set it ablaze while laughing maniacally at meandmy hope for a relationship between us.
“You’re not even here because you give a fuck. You’ve said a dozen times you don’t care if I die—as long as people never figured out who we were to each other. So, you can’t convince me you’re here for me now. You’re here so I’ll cry and run into your arms and accept your bullshit apology, and then you can go home and fake cry to Rick all about our moving reunion. Then, tomorrow, you’ll treat me like dog shit on the bottom of your thousand-dollar Louboutins. Don’t bother.”
Asher stepped away from the door, leaning closer to me. “Temperance, I think she’s serious. Those tear streaks are real.”
I looked at him incredulously. “I know they are! But they’re not forme. They’re because she no longer has a fatass allowance from Daddy Warbucks every week, and he won’t talk to her.” I looked over at Harper. “Turns out, I didn’t need yoursometime-in-the-futuredead father’s inheritance. Mycurrentlydead parents left me $6,000,000. I’ll give you whatever you want to go the fuck away and leave me alone—forever. All of it. I don’t care. It’s fucking blood money, anyway. Money I was paid because my parents were slaughtered formyrelation to a man I never knew existed. So, what do you want?”
She paused, her mouth opening and closing several times as she looked from Asher to me. “I—I don’t want your money or anyone else’s. I just want to get to know you. I fucked up. I fucked up really badly. You tried to be my sister, and I shut you out. I hurt you. As much as I’m hurting with what I’ve lost, I can’t imagine how much you’ve felt this whole time after losing far more. Please, I don’t want to lose you, too.”
I backed away and shook my head. “No. You’re not getting the best of me again. The only reason you’re claiming that is because Damian blacklisted your ass, so even the snot-nosed little friends youdohave won’t talk to you. You’retrulyalone for the first time in your spoiled brat life, and you don’t know how to handle it.” I shook my head as tears burned the back of my eyes, but I forced them back. “Ilovedyou. Fuck, I probably still do. Not because you didanythingfor me, but because you were my sister. But you couldn’t evenlikeme or eventolerateme for the same reason. You just hated me, because you assumed I wanted something from you when I wanted nothing except to know you.”
Her hands balled into fists. I could see her tamping down a lot more than sadness. My refusal of her was pissing her off.
“You missed your chance, Harper. I love you. Unfortunately for me, standing here, looking into your tear-streaked face and your sad blue eyes, I know I love you. I know I do because I just want to pull you into my arms and tell you everything will be okay. But I won’t. Because you’ve proven over and over again youdon’tcare. Not at all. You’ve told me too many times you didn’t care if someonemurderedme. You’ve ridiculed mydead parents. You’ve called me every version of trash I can think of. You have bullied me endlessly. And now? You could have killed me. If I’d taken a Xanax last night, you could have killed me. But you didn’t. You justbranded mewith the hatred and disgust you feel for me. So, no. Not this time. I saved your ass, and that was my last favor. Now, you’re on your own. Figure it out. Poor people and orphans have been doing it since the beginning of time. I’m sure you’ll be fine.”
Tears welled in her eyes as she took two very heavy steps forward, her hands still balled into fists. “I knew you were a bitch, but I didn’t think you werethismuch of a bitch. What was all that ‘family never turns their back on each other’ bullshit, huh? Like I fucking said… It’s something people say to manipulate others into doing what they want. I didn’t believe you then, and I was fucking right. Because look… Here you are, turning your back on me. Youarea piece of shit.”
My head fell back as I barked out a hearty laugh. “Me? Oh, damn. That’s hilarious. Sweetheart, you came here faking remorse, but I damn well knew it wouldn’t last long. I sacrificed myself for you repeatedly, and you have the nerve to say all that shit to me when you’ve sacrificednothingfor me? You’re just like your spoiled bitch of a mother. I feel sorry for your future children, who will be raised just like you were.”
Harper struck out like a viper, smacking me across the face so hard my head bounced off the door frame. Pain exploded through my skull, my migraine sending stars across my vision.
“Harper!” Asher snapped. He stepped between us and shoved her back. “What the fuck were you thinking?Youare in the wrong here. Not her!”
I shook my head to clear my vision, but my migraine didn’t agree. As all eight of Harper narrowed down to one solid one and one blurry one, I shoved Asher out of the way.
“I took a punch from you before and told you I wouldn’t fight you, but that was then. This is now. You’ve made one too many mistakes,” I said.
Her eyes widened, and she turned to run, but I was faster. I snatched her by the arm and spun her around so she faced me before headbutting her in the face. She screamed as her nose crunched against the hardest part of my skull, and I grunted as more pain stabbed through me.
She stumbled back against the wall, and I stalked closer. We were back to multiples again, so I had to work hard to focus my vision on the most solid version of her.
Pulling her hands away, blood dripped down her mouth, onto her chin, and then down to her shirt. She balled up her fists and swung, but I easily blocked it before throwing one of my own. I stopped the momentum less than an inch from her face. It was a move I’d wanted to do, had meant to do, but honestly wouldn’t have been disappointed if I’d failed due to my head and vision being so messed up.
“Point.”
“What?” she mumbled, and I yanked her away from the wall.
“Fight me,” I ordered.
She ran at me again, and I side-stepped her, kicking a leg out and taking her to the floor. In a flash, I straddled her, tangled my hand in her hair, and lifted before quickly thrusting downward, stopping just short of slamming her face into the floor.
“Point.” I stood and backed away. “Get up.”
She rolled over onto her back. “What the fuck is this?”