Page 87 of Veil of Obsession

Thinking of you.

I highly doubt this was from Daniel, but I don’t say anything. Instead, I take the flowers off her hands and head into the kitchen to place them in a vase.

“You should call Daniel and thank him for the flowers,” Mother suggests from behind me as I rearrange the flowers in the vase to see which way I like them better.

I try to ignore her, but she doesn’t allow it.

“Princess! I’m talking to you. At least have the courtesy to answer your mother.”

“Sorry,” I mumble, still lost in thought.

He really shouldn’t have, because what the hell was he thinking, having it delivered to my family’s house?

“I’ll text Daniel after breakfast,” I tell her.

It’s a lie. I won’t be texting him at all. Because if I text him about some random flowers getting delivered here, he’ll be confused and deny it, which in turn will make my mother suspicious.

“I’m going to put these in my room. I’ll be down in a minute.” I grab the vase, not waiting for an answer from her, and head back up the stairs.

For some reason, I feel lighter, as if the weight on my shoulders has been lifted. And there’s thisfeelingof juvenile giddiness that I know I shouldn’t be feeling, but I can’t help it.

I leave the vase by the window, wanting the flowers to get as much sunlight as possible, before heading back down. Everyone is seated at the table, even Dad. His condition has significantly deteriorated in the past couple of weeks; he’s not only sleeping more than he used to, but he also struggles with worsening muscle cramps. Not to mention the way he looked when he couldn’t hold onto his fork for more than two seconds. I struggle to keep the tears at bay because it’s so hard to watch the man I grew up admiring and wanting to make proud lose his ability to do the things he wants to.

It breaks my heart. And the most upsetting part of it all is we can’t do anything about it. Life really is a joke.

My mother seems to be in a good mood; she’s not frowning. I settle into my seat across from Kaito. I wait till the food is served and conversation is flowing before I gather the courage to ask her what I’ve wanted to ask since this morning.

“Mother.” I wait ’til her attention is fully on me before proceeding. “I was wondering if I could go out tomorrow to see Tiana?”

I have to fight the urge to bite the insides of my mouth. She drops her fork onto the table; it lands with a thwack. I nearly flinch.Nearly.

“No,” she finally says.

I swallow back the urge to cry and instead grow a backbone. “Why not?”

“Because you’ll be going out with Daniel tomorrow on a date to thank him for the flowers.”

Oh, for fuck’s sake. They’re not evenfromhim.

Instead of just accepting the defeat, I argue, “I didn’t force him to get me the flowers, and I won’t go on a date with a man I barely know just because he got me flowers. I don’t owe him anything.”

My mother reaches for her glass of water, and I, thinking she’s dismissing the conversation continue arguing.

“This isn’t fai?—”

I don’t even get to finish what I want to say because she throws the cold water in my face, drenching me. Balling my hands into fists, I bite back the scream I feel rising in my throat. I won’t give her the fucking satisfaction of seeing me lose it.

“You’re a bitch, you know that?” It’s a rhetorical question; I don’t wait for her reaction.

Wiping the water from my face, I get up to leave. But she’s fast, getting up and stepping in my way. I don’t know what she’s going to do. Not until the sting settles into my cheek and the loud crack echoes in the room do I realize that she’s slapping me.

And it’s not only once.

She slaps me again as she shouts, “You want to act like an ungrateful, insolent child, then you’ll get treated like one. Goto your room. And don’t even dream of coming out before I decide.”

My mother lands another slap on my cheek, breaking the skin. She raises her arm to slap me again, but Kaito pulls her away from me.

“She’s bleeding. What were you thinking?” he whispers, his voice harsh.