Page 64 of The Vow Thief

Dr. Colleen tilted her head slightly.“He sounds very invested in your choices.”

I let out a breath.“You could say that.”

Her tone stayed even.“Tell me more about your relationship with Sean.”

That word relationship caught me off guard.“It’s… complicated.”

“In what way?”

I picked at the hem of my sleeve, regretting every word that had led me here.“It isn’t exactly a relationship I chose. My father made that decision for me.”

Her brow lifted slightly, but she didn’t speak.

“It’s arranged,” I said finally.“An agreement. Two families. One future.”

Dr. Colleen nodded once, slow and deliberate.“That sounds like a lot to carry.”

I laughed softly.“That’s one way to put it.”

“Did you agree to it?”

“I didn’t really get asked.”

“So it wasn’t a choice.”

“No.” I rubbed my thumb against the seam of my jeans.“It was presented like one, though. A very polite kind of trap.”

“Who benefits from this arrangement?”

“My father. Sean. Both of them.”

“And you?”

“I stay out of jail.”

Her eyes flickered, just once, before she steadied them again.“Tell me what you mean by that.”

“My father made a deal,” I said quietly.“He used his influence to get me released, and in return, I agreed to the marriage. I’m not free. I’m traded property with an expunged record.”

Dr. Colleen’s voice softened.“That must feel like a very high price.”

“It feels like interest on a debt I didn’t choose to owe.”

“And Sean agreed to this?”

“He calls it redemption. Says he’s saving me. It sounds noble when he says it, until you realize I’m just being used.”

Dr. Colleen nodded slowly.“That sounds like control, not love.”

I gave a small, bitter smile.“Tell that to my father.”

She let the silence hang, the kind that presses you to fill it.“Lily, do you ever think about what freedom would look like for you?”

“I used to,” I said.“Now I just think about what happens if I take one wrong step.”

She sat back, studying me.“What do you want, Lily?”

“I want to want something. Anything. Right now, I just feel stuck.”