Page 57 of Forbidden Forget-Me-Not

Picking up my coffee, my hands shook as I leaned back.

Mom stared at me for a moment before speaking.

“I understand that more than you know. But you cannot outrun men like your father by pretending they don’t exist,” she said, her words measured. “And you cannot provoke him without cost.”

My chest tightened.

“I’m not provoking anyone, at least not intentionally. I just want him to leave me alone so I can live my life. How? How do I get him to do that?”

She reached across the table and grabbed my hand.

“Sweetie, I’m not going to try to convince you that marrying one of these men is for the best. But this is not an easy battle to win. Your father is stubborn when he sets his mind on something.”

“I don’t want to be locked away. I don’t want every choice to feel like a business negotiation. I don’t want to be someone’s arm candy for the public spotlight while they gallivant around the city sleeping with a million other girls. I don’t want to be second in my husband’s life.”

My mother’s face fell, and I hated myself immediately for saying it out loud. The last year had come with many revelations that had divided my father and me. His cheating on my mother and keeping mistresses in expensive condos had been one of them.

“Mom, I’m sorry. I didn’t mean you.”

She shook her head. “No. It’s fair. I wouldn’t wish that on you.”

My heart hurt for her as she looked away.

“This place makes it seem like life can be managed with rules.” I gestured vaguely around us. “But the world doesn’t work like that.”

“No, it doesn’t. Which is why you must decide what kind of woman you want to be when the rules stop protecting you.”

I sucked in a deep breath. “I’m not sure what you mean.”

“I’m going to be very blunt with you, my beautiful daughter, because I think it’s time you fully understood what is about to happen. There are only three ways out of this. The first is to go along with what your father wants. You meet everyone he approves of, pick one, and hope you’ll fall in love and have a great life.”

I shook my head, and she smirked.

“I thought so. That leaves only two other options. One is to negotiate your way out of it. That means you need leverage, either financial or emotional. Financially, you need to prove to your father that you are as competent as his sons. I know that is unfair, but that is how he thinks. You will need allies for this.”

“Okay, and emotionally?”

“For that, use your uncle Vadin. Be careful with this. It will only work once, and must be used wisely.”

“I don’t understand.”

“Your father didn’t love me, and I didn’t love him. Duty trapped us, and in the end, none of us got what we wanted.”

I had never heard this before. I leaned closer, absently picking at the fruit on my plate.

“Your uncle Vadin was in love with Renata. But Renata and your father were in love. They had courted for over two years when Vadin stepped in, under the guise of obeying his father, and swooped Renata up.”

“What? But how?”

“Vadin is the eldest son. He was meant to rule and marry the strongest candidate to solidify his power. Renata came from a very influential family. But he could have chosen anyone. There were dozens of other prospects who had connections and vast amounts of money.”

“So, Vadin stole Renata from Father?”

Mom nodded. “That is what caused their rift. It started long before that, but his choice set off a chain of events. I am Renata’s cousin, and your grandfather gave me to Dimitri as a consolation prize. Alas, I was madly in love with your uncle Anatoly, whom you have never met.”

I stared at her, stunned, as if she were speaking in tongues.

How did I not know any of this?