Page 180 of Burning Daylight

My father doesn’t say a word. My mother opens her mouth, but nothing comes out.

Paxton sets his silverware down carefully. “She’s right.”

My mother stiffens. “Pardon?”

He leans back in his chair, arms folded across his chest in that calm, calculated way that makes him the perfect protégé for my father. “You can control a lot of things, Mother, but I won’t let you control her anymore.”

“Paxton,” Dad cuts in.

“No,” Paxton says. “She’s done performing. I won’t have her life, herlight, stolen because you two can’t put your family over your bottom line.”

The silence drops like a stone.

And I stare at him with my heart stalled out. He’s never stood up to them for me. Not once. And now he’s doing it like it costs him nothing, even though I know that’s not the case.

My mother recovers, but just barely. “You’re defending her throwing away her future? Her name?”

“I’m defending her choosing something that actually belongs to her,” he replies.

His voice isn’t loud. But it’s firm. Unshakable.

“And if either of you have a problem with that, then you can deal with me.” His gaze cuts between them. “We all know what it would mean if I decided to stop sitting back and started taking charge.”

My mother’s lips turn white as she presses them together. My father’s cheeks turn red.

But no one argues.

Even Felicity is silent, her mouth open as she stares across the table at Paxton, who’s eating like he didn’t just threaten to push dad off the throne and take the crown.

It hits me then: the guilt.

Knowing I’m about to leave everything, even when he just put himself on the line.

I wonder if they’ll think of me once I’m gone, or if they’ll write me off like I was a bad habit they couldn’t wait to kick.

The thought spears through my body, causing a deep, throbbing ache.

I do my best not to look back at Roman, because the last thing I want to do is draw any more unnecessary attention when we’re about to do something as crazy as skip town. But it’s hard, knowing he’s only a few feet away. I give into the urge.

He’s talking to Merrick and Benjamin, but his eyes drop to mine the second I look at him, like he was waiting for them. It makes my fingertips tingle and my stomach flip with nerves, and it’s so stupid how both of our families are here playing nice, but the two of us are cursed to be forever apart because fate decided to make us who we are.

Except we’re about to take fate and tell it to fuck off.

I force my stare away, trying to not be suspicious, and as soon as I do, my gaze snags on another person.

Tyler is glaring at me like he knows all my secrets and wants to flay me alive for them. It makes dread trickle down my spine, and my fingers twist in my lap as I clear my throat and force myself to look away. With everything that’s been going on, I had forgotten that Frederick had shared my secret.

“Excuse me,” I say, pushing back from the table and catching Tyler’s eye. I haven’t spoken to him since Frederick stopped us and sloppily said Roman’s name in front of him, and I know it’s overdue. I can’t leave here without smoothing things over.

He’s always been one of my closest friends, and I can’t stand the thought of him thinking the worst of me. Even if I know he’ll hate me when he finds out I’m gone.

I walk out front until I’m in the night air and sit down at a bench in the VU courtyard. The red and brown bricks are what I choose to focus on until Tyler slips into the space next to me. His arm goes around the back of the bench, his legs sprawling out in front of him, a frown on his face and his eyes alert.

“Roman Montgomery won’t stop staring at you, you know? You two are fucking obvious, and it’s disgusting.”

My stomach twists, and I shrug, hoping it comes across as nonchalant. “I fail to see how that’s my problem.”

He gives me a knowing look. “Do you think I’m stupid?”