Chapter 2

TWO

It’s been weeks since the fight with my father.

He’s sitting at the head of the patio table with Mom beside him. They both wait for me to talk since I’d called this meeting after my sisters and their families left.

It’s now or never. I’m carrying the gasoline to throw on the already burning fire between us. I spread my hands out on the table, unable to look at either one of them. A small breath escapes me while I muster the courage to follow through with what I want for my life.

Breathe … one … two … three.

“I’ve decided not to go to college,” I state firmly.

As expected, silence falls between us. I keep my eyes fixed on the centerpiece and avoid looking at my father. If it was possible to smell smoke coming out of someone’s ears, I’m smelling the burning smoke right now and choking on it.

“Alexa,” Mom stammers, “I … I don’t understand where this is coming from?”

“This is coming from someone who doesn’t want to go to college,” I respond matter-of-factly. “Just because my sisters went doesn’t mean I have to.”

Mom stares in confusion. “So, what exactly will you be doing?”

“I’ll be traveling around Europe.”

“Then, when you’re done, say, in a year? You’re going to enroll?” Mom pushes.

In slow motion, I raise my eyes to meet my father’s. The skin around his eyes tightens as his jaw sets. “No.”

More silence, of course. No one defies Lex Edwards, yet here I am …

“You have one year to travel,” he states in an arctic tone, his voice strangled while trying to control his temper. “Then, you will return and enroll in college.”

I stand up in a rush, crossing my arms with a defiant stare. “You don’t get a say in my life anymore. I’m almost eighteen.”

“As long as you live under this roof,” he threatens.

“Well, guess what, Lex …” I drag his name in a condescending tone. “As soon as I graduate, I will no longer be living under this roof. You can control what you want, but you will never control me.”

The anger of this conversation forces me to leave and run inside the house away from him and his empty threats. My steps move fast up the stairs almost tripping halfway up the staircase.

The door to my bedroom slams shut with a loud thud causing the picture frames on the wall to shake from the vibration.

My heart races a million miles, unable to slow down to a normal pace. This decision has been weighing heavily on my mind of late. The more we argued, and he laid down new rules, the more I wanted to defy him.

Slowly, I rest my head against the door while my eyes close to calm myself down. The temperature inside the room is warmer than usual despite my window being open. There’s a soft nightly breeze, but it’s not enough to cool my heated skin.

No one goes against the great Lex Edwards.

I’d seen people attempt, but they never succeeded. There had been times I’d overheard my father talking to Mom about some business conflict. It wasn’t unusual for him to encounter people who made it their mission to destroy the successful billionaire. But, in the end, my father always played his cards right and won.

That was business, and I’m family.

My eyes open wide, staring directly into my bedroom, a haven from all the chaos in my life. The king-sized bed is perfectly made with my favorite ivory bedspread. When it came to aesthetics, my bedroom styling changed as quickly as my mood. Right now, I’m going through my neutral phase, which beats the emo-dark phase I went through in junior high.

The desk sitting opposite my bed is paired with a velvet cream armchair. My MacBook sits on the desk along with some books I need to finish reading. Reading wasn’t my thing until a few months ago when I stumbled on a book that had the worst reviews. Naturally, I wanted to know what all the negative hype was about. It turned out I loved it, then binge-read the whole series. Reading became a sort of escapism, and these books were nothing like the boring novels we were forced to read in school.

The spice was next level, and things I never knew existed opened my eyes to a whole other world. It’s not like I hadn’t had sex. I just hadn’t had sex like the characters in a book.

Above the desk is a corkboard with photos pinned. There are many of Cole, some of us, and a few with friends.

My feet move toward the desk to observe the photos closer. They are all memories from a time when life was less complicated. At the beginning of senior year, when I had all these hopes and dreams, thinking it would be the best year of my life.

Friends came and went, which is totally the norm in high school. But I never expected my family to be the reason why people wanted my friendship. If my father was a billionaire, then apparently, so was I. Not only were they hung up on wealth, but they were also hung up on my father to the point I was often bullied. I’d walk the halls and be cornered by a bunch of mean girls who would go into detail about their sexual fantasies involving my father.

Their obsession with him got more and more gross as time went on.

Another reason why my resentment grew deeper and why I couldn’t talk to my parents. What would they say? Grow a backbone, Alexa. Life ain’t easy.

Then, there is Cole—my boyfriend.

Our relationship has been strained since the night of the party. The arguments between us escalated over the dumbest reasons. He was embarrassed I’d saved the life of another guy. It was the stupidest thing I’d ever heard. Cole should have said he was jealous because I performed CPR, including mouth-to-mouth. I mean, it’s not like I kissed him. The more I think about it, the more annoyed I become. His immaturity is shining through, which is why I made certain decisions.

As for college, Cole has no idea I’ve been thinking about traveling. He has his whole college life planned out. Frat house, keg parties, and our break-up is inevitable since our views on the next four years are the complete opposite.

He wants to party and … I don’t know what I want.

A gentle knock breaks me from my thoughts. I know it’s Mom, and even though I’m not in the mood, she’s not the one I’m angry at.

“Come in,” I mutter.

The door opens as Mom steps in, softly closing the door behind her. My mother is a very beautiful woman with classic features, which makes her appear ageless. Yet as our eyes meet for a brief moment, I notice the tired expression on her face but quickly glance away to pretend I don’t care.

“I don’t understand where this is all coming from, Alexa,” she begins in an exasperated voice. “This attitude and disrespect for our family.”

“I’m not disrespecting our family,” I answer defensively while crossing my arms in defiance. “I’ve been nothing but nice to you.”

Her lips purse into a white sash. “Your father doesn’t deserve this.”

“Right …” I drag with a twisted mouth. “Because the great Lex Edwards always gets what he wants.”

It’s Mom’s turn to cross her arms, shaking her head with obvious disappointment. I should have known she would defend her husband over me. What’s fucking new in this family.

Mom points her finger with a stern gaze. “Don’t you dare spin whatever the hell is going on with you and blame our family. You’ve been given a life many girls would die for, and here you are treating us like we’ve done you wrong.”

I’m taken aback by Mom’s raised tone, given the only time she’s fought with me is over petty things like me taking something from her wardrobe without asking.

“Are we done?”

“Alexa,” Mom softens but drops her gaze to the ground. “You need to talk about whatever it is that is bothering you. Whatever it is that has happened to you.”

Mom would never understand. So what if I told her I’d fallen pregnant to Cole but chose to abort the baby because everyone would blame me for ruining their life? What difference would it make now?

It’s over.

“I want to be alone, please.”

I turn my back to face the window and stare into the dark night. Behind me, the door closes, and Mom is gone without another word.

The weight of tonight leaves me exhausted. I take a long shower hoping to relax enough to fall asleep. Like all nights, my eyes grow weary, and I fall asleep within minutes.

But then, the nightmare begins.

I’m lying on the hard bed, alone, staring up at the fluorescent light. Thoughts run rampant, confusing me and leaving me terrified. The nurses enter the room and start prepping, talking amongst themselves, and one even laughs.

I keep thinking about my choice. What if I say no? What if I choose to have the baby? But the fear, it consumes me to the point of silence.

One nurse stops and explains what is going to happen next.

The baby is going to die.

This is my fault.

My body jerks forward as my chest rises and falls, barely able to catch a breath. It’s the middle of the night, and my room is pitch black. I shut my eyes tight, wishing this would go away, then fall back onto the bed.

I toss and turn, finally falling asleep at the crack of dawn before it’s time to wake up for school.

The school day drags on, as does my exhaustion. I almost fall asleep in bio, but thankfully the girl sitting next to me nudges me before Miss Dawson walks over.

Cole is busy with his friends, which I kinda welcome since he’d want me to come to his place after school. His parents are always working, making it easy for us to have sex without worrying about getting caught. But lately, I’ve tried to come up with every excuse to avoid it.

When I get back home, the house is empty. I grab a bag of Reese’s from the pantry, then head to my room to enjoy the peace and quiet.

As I open the door, I stop dead in my tracks.

My two older sisters, Millie and Ava, sit in my room without a care. My other sister, Addy, lives in San Francisco, so it comes as no surprise she hasn’t joined forces with Millie and Ava.

“You have a hell of a lot of explaining to do,” Ava utters.

Ava is my father’s favorite daughter. Everyone in the family knows that. Of course, she will defend him and make it out like I’m the villain. There’s no point talking to my sisters like they’d even understand. Both are married, have kids, and don’t live under these stupid rules my parents insist on having.

Ignoring them, I walk toward my desk, swing my bag over the chair and place my books on my desk.

“This is my room, and you weren’t welcome in,” I respond in frustration.

Ava and Millie glance at each other. I’m waiting for Ava to go psycho since she has no filter, but Millie can hold an argument without backing down since she’s an attorney just like Mom.

“You hurt Dad. Just so you know,” Ava blurts out.

“The man is invincible,” I mutter, kicking my shoes off and walking into my wardrobe to change out of my uniform. I settle on a pair of sweats, even though it’s hot out, and my favorite tee. When I step back into my room, my sisters are less than pleased by my disregard for them defending my father.

“Dad aside …” Millie begins to pause briefly, then continues, “… why don’t you want to go to college? You do realize without a college degree your career choice is limited.”

I shrug, then throw myself onto my bed with my phone. “I want to travel.”

“On whose money?” Ava shouts, unable to hold back her anger. “Mom and Dad’s money?”

Over the many birthdays and special occasions, I’d put aside some cash for a just-in-case moment. My grandparents would spoil me rotten, gifting me envelopes on the sly despite my parents’ wealth. I’ve saved a few thousand dollars to buy myself a plane ticket to Europe and a few weeks’ stay at a low-budget hostel until I find a job. The hostel part isn’t exactly appealing, but surely it can’t be that bad.

“I have my own money, thank you very much.”

“And, so what? You last like a month until you call Dad begging for help,” Ava accuses.

I shuffle so my elbows rest on the bed, shifting my attention to my sisters. Millie is a lot like Mom in looks, the same brown shade of hair and facial features. Her eyes are identical to Dad’s, just like all of us. However, Ava looks just like Dad, which is probably why she’s the favorite.

“I think you’re confusing me for you, Ava,” I note with dark amusement.

Ava opens her mouth, but Millie grabs her arm to stop her.

“What about Cole?” Millie questions. “Are you going to break up with him?”

“I’m not like you, Millie. I don’t hold onto high school boyfriends for the sake of it.”

The moment Millie’s eyes widened and her mouth falls open, I know I’ve struck a nerve. It’s the truth, though. She stayed with her high school boyfriend and tried to do the whole long-distance thing until she cheated on him. Millie will argue she didn’t cheat. They were already broken up. Whatever, like I care what she did in her love life.

“Now you’re just being a bitch,” Ava bellows.

“I’m tired.” I yawn, ignoring them. “You’ve said what you came to say, now leave.”

I just want to be alone, away from my family and some other place where the nightmares don’t follow me.

“You can run,” Millie says in a low voice, “but one day, you’re going to realize the people you pushed away are the ones you need the most.”

And just like that, my sisters leave my room.

Millie is wrong. I don’t need anyone. Soon, I’ll be far away and starting a new life on my own. I’ll make it work for as long as I can, even if it means I have to work hard to earn my own money to survive.

I don’t need a man, nor do I need my father’s help.

And the best part of my plan … no one will know I’m Lex Edwards’ daughter.

I’ll make damn sure of it.