Page 178 of Forbidden Forget-Me-Not

He reached out with clear intent as his fingers brushed what I was sure had become a red mark on my throat. He lifted the delicate gold chain, and I felt the ring shift.

“Who gave this to you?”

“My mother,” I said, not missing a beat.

“Are you sure?”

“Are you calling me a liar or questioning my memory?”

“Just answer the question.”

I straightened my spine.

“It was a gift for my eighteenth birthday. It belonged to my grandmother before she died, then my mother gave it to me. It’s a family heirloom. Do you have a problem with that?”

He let it drop and stepped back.

“That’s good. Otherwise, I would have told you to take it off.”

My pulse roared in my ears.

“Why?”

“You’re no longer a child, Kaylani. You understand symbolism. If you were wearing another man’s ring in my house…I would consider it disrespectful.”

“Well, it’s a good thing that I’m not. If you give me a phone, I’ll happily call my mother to confirm it for you.”

Julian grinned, not bothering to hide his evil side from me.

“Oh, Kaylani. I think we will get along quite well.” He moved past me, and our shoulders brushed. “Once you learn to behave, that is.”

He threw that last bit out as he walked away. I glared at him and let rage fill my mind with every horrible death imaginable.

When he reached the doorway, Julian paused and looked back like he had suddenly remembered something.

“Oh, and Kaylani, you will be expected to wear my ring tomorrow for the celebration.” He looked at the box sitting on the dresser. “And, security has been expanded. For your protection, of course.”

Of course it had.

“Protection from what?”

“From desperation.”

My fingers curled so tightly my nails bit into my palm.

He left the room, and I stood there fuming. My mind raced. A fancy celebration tomorrow. A wedding in two weeks. Great. Just great. Nausea rolled through me, and my hand drifted slowly over my stomach.

Sven stepped forward a moment later and cleared his throat, jerking me out of my angry thoughts.

“May I speak with you?”

“Yes, of course,” I replied, walking toward the vanity.

The girl in the mirror looked like me. Composed. In control. But that wasn’t how I felt inside. Inside, I was a volcano ready to erupt.

“I may have received word that Mrs. Mikhailov has been made aware of your situation.”

I whipped around to face him, hope filling me for the first time in days.