Page 67 of Let's Be Forever

It races faster. “Amazing. I thought he’d be weird or hate it or…I don’t know, but he’s great, and Rosie loves him.”

“Are you really going to move out? He’s not making you pay anything,” Em questions, as if confused that I’m not taking advantage of his help.

Before he left yesterday, he made it abundantly clear that Maya and I would not be paying for anything. He said he’d be getting groceries, or if I prefer it, he’ll give me his card and I can buy whatever I want. And if there was anything I didn’t like or needed in the condo, to let him know.

I get why they’re confused, why they think it’s stupid that I won’t allow him to help, why they can’t understand why I’ll eventually want to move out. His condo is probably worth over a million dollars, and it’s the nicest place I’ve ever lived since his penthouse in New York.

“I did it before, and I didn’t question it. I let him pay for everything. If I wanted it, he bought it. Even my classes in France and where I stayed. He bought it all and I let him. And then he broke up with me.” My heart shrivels as I think about that day. I had this gut feeling that I couldn’t shake off. “I had access to his money, but I wasn’t going to use it. Then hisparents asked for it all back. So I had to sell everything and work overtime. Anyway, I don’t want his money, and I don’t want his help. I know you guys think I’m stupid, that he needs to make up for all the time he wasn’t there, and because he has the money, I should just accept it, but I can’t.”

“Anna,” Jenny begins, but her voice wanes, and she stares at me, shell-shocked. “I-I didn’t know.”

I told her almost everything, but I couldn’t tell her that. I was too embarrassed, and I knew she’d try to help, but I didn’t want her to. She was already struggling with money and living with her family members as it was.

“Jesus Christ, they weren’t kidding when they said don’t meet your idols.”

“Idols?” Jenny lifts a questioning brow.

“I loved Clara. She was why I wanted to get into the industry,” Em explains, resentment heavy in her voice. “God, she plays the hell out of the ‘I’m sweet, I do so much for others and support women of all backgrounds,’ so well. I really thought…What a fucking cunt.”

She does; she plays it spectacularly. Everyone loves her and respects what she does and how she does it.

“It’s fine. I won’t ever have to interact with her again.” I refuse.

Although now that I think about it, I haven’t talked to Sylas about his parents and what’ll happen when they come to see him or when he sees them. I don’t know if he’s talked to them about Rosie or if he’ll want them to meet her. I don’t want that to happen, but they’re his parents. He’s not going to cut them off.

“Sweets?”

I blink out of my stupor at Em’s voice. “What?” I check the timer. “One more minute.”

They scramble over what they want to ask, speaking on top of each other in their excitement. Em laughs and motions for Jenny to start.

“It’s obvious Sylas wants you back. Would you ever consider getting back with him?” She scoops another spoonful of flan and shoves it in her mouth, as they wait expectantly to hear the answer to the million-dollar question.

“In a different lifetime, yes.” I have thought about it once or twice since he came back into the picture…and maybe dreamed about it too.

“Okay, last one.” Em holds up a single finger. “What if his parents weren’t involved? Would you give it a chance then?”

“Yes…no.” I glance at the tattoo on my arm. “I mean, yeah, if they weren’t involved, it’d make things easier, but Sylas…he…he?—”

“Wait, don’t tell me he cheated?”

“No, but I wish he had. It’d be easier to move on,” I admit sardonically.

They look at each other, perplexed.

“What did he do?” Jenny sets her utensil down, and rage fills her eyes.

“It’s what he won’t do.” I wipe a palm down my tired face and brush my bangs away from my forehead. I sigh, needing to get this off my chest because every time I think of what happened two weeks ago in his condo, I feel suffocated. “His parents are a lot. I already knew that, but I just didn’t realize how bad.

“Years ago, after a game when Sylas’s team lost, he didn’t come home. He told me he was going to meet me back at his place, but he never came. So I reached out to his friends. They told me when they lose, he likes to be alone. But I had this gut feeling he wasn’t. I know it’s going to sound crazy, but I went to the arena. I don’t know why I thought of going there first, but I did, and that’s when I saw him on the ice with his uniform stillon. He wasn’t alone.” I suck in a breath, grinding my molars at the memory. “His father, Dean, was punishing him for losing. He had him practicing, doing drills until he threw up, and even then…he didn’t stop.”

I found out later that night that his father does that after every loss.

I told Sylas it wasn’t okay, that it was practically abuse, but he said it was fine. He brushed off my concern, said he’s only as good as he is because of his father.

Without him, I’d be nothing,he’d said after I listed every reason why it was wrong.

“I’m telling you both this because his father is a piece of shit, but in spite of it all, Sylas puts up with it.” Rage clouds my thoughts. “He lets his father speak to him however he sees fit, and I don’t think he sees anything wrong with that. But I stuck by him. I was there and I tried. In the end, it was all for nothing.”