đź‘‘ Tyla đź‘‘
He looked at me with no emotion.
"I'm not a doll you shove onto a shelf, Shane. Not something you pick up when you're bored."
My voice didn't shake. I made sure of that.
"I never said you were," he replied, low and controlled. "But maybe try something new and stop attacking me."
He stepped closer. His presence was overbearing. Rich boy arrogance wrapped in expensive cologne. I hated how intoxicating it was.
"Give me two real reasons you hate me, Tyla. Just two."
I froze.
He waited.
I had none.
He saw it.
"Exactly." His tone was clipped. "You're not mad at me. You're mad at the situation. And I'm the easiest person to throw the knife at."
"You should be grateful it was my brother," Daniella said, suddenly appearing with that smug family trademark smile. "If it had been another heir, you wouldn't dare raise your voice like this."
"How long have you been standing there?" I snapped, my jaw tightening.
"Since you two started your conversation," she said with a wink.
"Daniella, what do you want?" Shane asked, exasperated.
"They sent me to ask which dates you want for the engagement party and the wedding. Dad said the press conference is happening tomorrow, whether you're emotionally prepared or not. No need to wait until next month."
"The 12th," I said without thinking.
"The 20th," Shane said simultaneously.
We both paused. Our eyes met. Static.
"Engagement on the 12th. Wedding on the 20th of next month," Shane finalized.
Daniella smirked, satisfaction in her step as she walked off.
"Stop making things difficult for everyone and start behaving. The whole world doesn't revolve around you," Shane said before heading back inside.
His words stung, but I refused to acknowledge it.
I followed him back inside. As soon as I entered, all eyes were on me, but I said nothing. I took my bag from the chair and walked out.
Lena caught up with me by the car.
"Where are you going?"
"Rose's place."
"But people are still inside. Walking out on them is rude."
"Make an excuse. I need to see her."
She looked at me like she wanted to argue, then lowered her voice.
"Be careful. You know her situation isn't simple."
I nodded.
Then she went back inside.
I drove to Rose's house.
Rose's house was too quiet.
Claudia was on the couch, watching some vintage romance drama like nothing was wrong.
"Where is she?"
"Upstairs," she said, barely glancing away.
"And who cleared the bags? I didn't take mine before leaving."
"Your bag's been sent to your house. Her nanny cleared out everything after you left."
"Okay."
I climbed the stairs, but halfway up, I turned back.
"Claudia… what happened after I left?"
She muted the TV.
"She cried for a while."
I sat down on the armrest beside her.
"What are we going to do?" she asked, real fear in her voice.
"We can't do anything. Not unless Rose fights for herself."
"But what if she doesn't?"
"Then she'll fade away. Like all the other girls in Valemont who wore pearls to cover bruises."
"You're back," Rose's voice said softly from behind me.
She looked like porcelain—perfect on the outside, shattered underneath.
"I'm sorry for what I said earlier."
I didn't respond. Instead, I looked at Claudia.
"My wedding is on the 20th of next month, and the engagement party is on the 12th of this month."
"Then I'm designing your dresses," she announced instantly. "Iconic ones. No one in Valemont will forget them."
"Who said you were in charge of my gowns?"
Her face fell.
"Kidding. Obviously."
I turned to Rose.
"Don't show up to my wedding with bruises. You'll ruin my photos."
"They'll fade," she whispered. "They always do."
"And they always come back," I replied sharply. "Comfort doesn't make captivity noble, Rose."
"Why not just marry out?" Claudia asked gently.
"Because she can't," I said before Rose could lie to herself. "She needs someone with more power than her father. And that kind of man isn't looking for a girl like Rose."
"There are good men in Valemont," Claudia argued.
"But none who'd risk their inheritance for a broken doll," Rose murmured.
"Stop calling yourself that," I snapped. "You're not broken. You're just stuck."
Silence.
Claudia exhaled. "This city… it's a cage with velvet bars. We all look free, but none of us are."
"Then maybe we should burn the whole damn cage down," I said.
And for a second… they almost believed I would.
"Why did you leave like that?" Claudia asked.
"My dad texted me to come home," I said.
"What happened?"
"Shane's family came over."
"I think you should be a little nice to Shane. He hasn't done anything to you," Rose said.
"Supported," Claudia added. "You've been harsh on that innocent man since the gala, and you were at fault."
I turned slowly, staring at both of them. "Innocent?" I scoffed. "Is that what we're calling it now?"
"You humiliated him publicly, Tys," Rose said gently. "You poured a drink on him."
"He looks at me like I'm something to conquer, not someone to love."
"You think he doesn't love you?" Claudia asked, her voice suddenly quiet. "I've seen the way he looks at you when you're not watching. Like you're the only war he's willing to lose."
That stunned me into silence. Just for a second.
"Love means nothing here," I said, bitter. "Valemont turns it into currency. Leverage. PR. A prettier kind of prison."
"Shane might not be perfect," Claudia continued. "But he's not your enemy. You're just scared he might not be the villain you want him to be."
That hit deeper than I wanted to admit.
"I don't need him to be a villain," I muttered. "I just need one thing in my life to not be a performance."
No one spoke.
Outside, rain tapped the window like a slow clock. Soft. Steady. Mocking.
"You think I don't want to be loved?" I asked them both. "Of course I do. But not by someone who was forced to choose me. That's not love. That's a transaction."
Rose said quietly, "He didn't want this either. But he's here. And he's trying. Which is more than most."
"Trying doesn't fix everything."
"Neither does running," Claudia said.
I inhaled sharply. That one cut.
"Fine," I said, standing. "If you both love him so much, you marry him."
"You don't mean that," Rose said.
"I mean every word. Because I don't want to wake up next to someone who resents me for the rest of my life. And right now, that's exactly who Shane is."
"And what if he doesn't?" Claudia asked. "What if he's waiting for you to give him a reason to not resent you?"
I stopped. Just for a bit.
"Then he's waiting on the wrong girl," I said.