Esmeralda lifted her chin defiantly, her jaw locked tight. "Let me make this clear—I haven''t changed my mind. I don''t know where you got that idea. These meetings, these arrangements... none of it is up to me. If you''re confused, maybe you should look for the real reason why."
The words shot out of her, sharp and trembling. Her chest ached, rage threatening to spill over. But she didn''t want to cry in front of Fleming.
She spun on her heel, desperate to get away.
Why had shee back at all, just to be cross-examined by him?
Before she could escape, his hand mped around her wrist.
Fleming was right behind her now, his grip tightening as she struggled to break free. “Doesn''t matter what you want—calling off the engagement right now is not the way. What would you even tell them? If you''re nning on ming it on me and Lucy, then don''t bother."
Esmeralda''s lips trembled.
Lucy. Always Lucy.
That was why he wanted to call off-and now he wouldn''t let her say it because of Lucy too.
All he cared about was shielding Lucy from the fallout.
"Why should I?" she demanded, eyes zing red. "Why should I be the one smoothing it over for you two? Why do I have to help you get your happy ending? Is that really what I deserve?"
The trouble between them had always been about Lucy. Why should she be the one to hide it?
Fleming looked at her, seeing someone unrecognizable-gone was the gentle girl he''d always known.
She wasing apart at the seams,shing out, even turning her anger on Lucy. "You need to calm down,” he said, trying to keep things from spiraling further. They''d grown up together, and Esmeralda had never been easygoing.
He could give her time to cool off.
"We''ll talk about this when you''re ready to be reasonable."
The words struck her like a p. She''d spoken from the heart, and all he could say was that she was being unreasonable?
"What if I''m set on ending it today?" she asked quietly,posure slipping back into icy determination.
Fleming let go of her wrist. "Then I''ll leave right now. If you want to say something, go ahead-but anything will just be your
you to the
version, not the whole truth. As long as I''m not there, you can''t call it off."
And anyway, if she really wanted to end things, why invite his father here? Did she want to humiliate someone on purpose?
Esmeralda felt like there was a knife lodged in her throat. Speaking became almost impossible.
Fleming just shot her a final, unreadable look before striding away.
Not a word more. No hesitation.
He was gone.
She took a shaky breath, pressing a hand to her chest, trying to stave off the heavy, suffocating pressure welling up inside.
When she finally returned to the sitting room, she was bombarded with a dozen questions—but she found herself unable to answer even one.
Just as Fleming had warned, it would all look like her story alone; she''d be painted as rash, unreasonable, even cruel.
Esmeralda stayed silent.
When his father tried to reach Fleming, all he got was a clipped message: “Urgent business. You all discuss things."
The two families slipped seamlessly
back into celebration, eagerlyying out wedding ns. Esmeralda felt like a stranger hovering on the sidelines as the details of her own future were discussed around her.
Only after the Mercers had left did she set down her empty cup. Turning to her father, her voiceè steady, she said, "Dad, we put on a good show for the sake of our
families, but now that everyone''s gofe, need you to know.
between Fleming and me. He
Over
doesn''t love me, and I won''t force his anymore."
"You should get ready to speak with his parents."
Maybe once it was just a suspicion. Tonight, it was a certainty.
Fleming felt something for Lucy that was different.
All the years she and Fleming had spent growing up together meant nothing next to
the few years Lucy had been his stepsister.