Forced to Marry the CEO's Son

pte

hat Mom had dropped her only vase-water and dead flo

stepping away from the strange man

leaning up the shards of glass, sopping up the water and tossing the wilted flowers into the tra

tten she had just dropped something. Her voice

the stranger said, hi

t hesitation, Mom raised her hand and slapped the man hard ac

! Nine years without so much as a phone call!

om kneeling. Nine years? My stomach

r amber-brown eyes staring back at me like a mirror. He had Tanner's bl

ldn't be.

e who abandoned us. The one who w

in my hand. A sharp sting followed. Blood dripped down my palm, but I did

bleeding!" Dad-no

seeping through my finger

my hand, tossed the shards in the garbage, and rushed to the sink. Hot

nd and wrapped the hot rag around it. "Don't scare me like that

ry tear, every unanswered question growing up. My hands tre

r behind him like he belonged here. Lik

esponse, Mom stepped in front of

y, looking at me again.

the fin

lling at him, getting in his face, screaming about how much pain

m fine,"

y that? Why did my mou

t this

at locked up. This

dra. I'm listenin

. That was

that's the opposite of what

ream more, to yell every insult I'd ever thought about him. But the rest of the words got stuck

pping in between us again.

on the floor!" he yelled back, clearly not

creamed again, h

much as they are yours!" he shouted, voice crack

s when Mo

them yours!" she roared, shoving

I thought things were about to spiral completely out of control-m

ice broke through the chaos l

ked, standing on the stairs with her teddy be

e. Even Felix-Dad-t

o this man really was. All she saw was her mother pushing a st

er face quickly and walking over to Sophie. "It'

bear tighter. "Is

urt anyone," Mom assured her, gla

ybe he didn't expect to be met with so much pain. Maybe

physical kind at least. But emotionally, I was unraveling. The past had crashed into our

hat, the silenc

w it woul