Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 84075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84075 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
I slow once I reach the top of the steps and head down the hall toward the open bedroom door. The voices are clear now and I think I might be sick. It’s Grandpop talking clearly and with audible glee. “… going to solve all your problems, but it’s the truth, Katherine. You’re nothing but a Stockton and you’ll always be a Stockton to him. Ford only agreed to this because I made him do it, and he’s only still here because he’s too weak to do what’s needed, but do you really think he would throw away his whole life for you? For some worthless girl?”
“Stop it,” Katherine says and the pain in her voice suddenly lights a fire in my chest. This feels surreal like a nightmare after a long night spent feasting on Katherine’s body, but it’s real, all too fucking real. I surge forward as rage flows into me, rage white-hot and horrible, and a bitter hate I’ve never felt toward my father-figure flares and nearly overwhelms me.
“Grandpop,” I roar and step into the room.
Kat turns. Her face is covered in tears. It’s drowning in sorrow and it breaks me for an instant and banks some of my fire. She looks like she’s bleeding out—her hands are over her gut, though there’s no wound, nothing I can see at least—while Grandpop sits at the end of our bed with his legs crossed and a huge smile on his face like this couldn’t be any better.
“There he is, just the man we’ve been discussing.” He slaps his thighs and laughs. “How are you, Ford?”
“What did you do?” I ask at a low rumble, my hands shaking with anger. “What the fuck did you do?”
“I told her the truth,” he says simply. “You agreed to get engaged with her to find dirt on her grandfather in exchange for control of our family once I step down. That was why you did this, right? That’s why we’re all here? She might be wondering why you were so pushy, but now it all makes sense, doesn’t it? My boy here is going to ruin you, or at least that was the plan.”
“Ford,” Kat croaks and she’s staring at me with those tear-streaked eyes, the tears glittering on her cheeks, and it’s breaking my fucking heart, it’s breaking me in half. My anger slowly fades and something else replaces it. “Is it true?”
Sorrow floods my hands and feet, and a deep self-loathing grows from lower in my soul. I should’ve told her sooner, I never should’ve let it go this long without telling her the truth and explaining everything—
“I made a decision last night,” I tell her, ignoring Grandpop’s obvious pleasure over this whole thing, desperate to make her see how I feel. “I’m done with him. I’m done with them. Kat, listen—”
“That’s why you wouldn’t promise not to hurt me.” She chokes out a single sob and shakes her head as her shoulders hunch forward. “You said you’d protect me, but you couldn’t protect me from yourself. This is why, isn’t it? God, it all makes sense now.”
“I didn’t want to lie to you,” I say through my teeth. “I never lied—”
“You bastard.” She steps toward me. “You sick, manipulative bastard. You did all this just to hurt me? Just to bring my family down a peg? All over some stupid feud you don’t even care about?”
“Kat, please, if you’d listen—”
“You’re sick, Ford. You’re sick and twisted and you get off on making people suffer, don’t you? I thought we had something. I thought you cared. You… you treated me like you were starting to care. You acted like you wanted me to stand up for myself, like you gave a crap if my family treated me like shit, but it was all just bullshit, wasn’t it?” Her chin lifts and her lower lip trembles and, fuck, this is killing me, this is breaking me, if only she could understand what I’m going to give up for her— “I’m done. I’m finished with this. My life’s always been like this and always going to be like this. Every time I think something good’s about to happen, it turns out to be just another twisted prank. Even you were only ever a bully in the end, Ford, and I hate you for it. I hate you so much for making me think I could love you. And you know what? You were right, I need to have a spine, and I’m going to walk out of here and never see you again. Do you understand, Ford?”
“Kat, no, don’t let this old bastard—” That word love is wrenching me in half. Love, love, love, that’s what I’ve been feeling, I’ve been right on the edge of that word and too afraid to let it in but now that I’ve finally decided to open myself to the truth of how I feel about her, my stupid decisions are tearing me apart again.