Chapter Forty-Two

Lyrical

I t's been two weeks since I broke up with Snow. He sends me text messages every day, telling me how much he misses me and loves me, and he follows me everywhere I go. I almost feel sorry for him, but I remind myself that I have to be strong, and he needs to learn that he can't keep things from me. That I'm supposed to be first in his life.

When I was out with Winter and Lilac last night, he broke a man's hand for grabbing my arm. Every time a guy would speak to me, he blocks their view and scares them off with threats. I don't say anything. I wasn't entertaining any of the guys, they were only trying to strike a friendly conversation.

I expect this behavior from Snow; he has always been controlling and manipulative—and revengeful. But I thought we agreed that we were a team. I knew he was getting revenge on me by making me his sex doll, but I didn't know that he had an order to kill me. That he was supposed to marry Savannah. His father wanted to kill me because he wants revenge for Bailey's death, which makes sense why he looked disgusted at me when it came out that I actually killed her.

I'm always going to be second to Snow.

And it hurts like hell that I can't talk to him.

I sit on my old bed in my room at my parents' home. They don't know why I'm staying here, but they suspect I had a fight with Snow.

Tears wet my eyes and I bring my legs to my chest, resting my chin on my knees.

Most days, I sit in my room, trying to catch up on homework and painting.

There is a knock at the door and my mother barges in. She takes in my tear-streaked face. When she sits next to me, she wraps her arms around my shoulders.

"Why are you crying?"

I don't want to tell her what's going on, but if I don't now, she'll call Snow, so I might as well admit it.

"I'm divorcing Snow."

"I'm sorry, baby." She pulls me into her arms and kisses my temple. "What happened?"

I want to tell her what's going on, but I need advice from my father first. He's the president of the company and knows how the men are built to run the Billionaire Club. It's more than a business and a secret society, and they have a set of rules that the owners have to follow.

"Where is Father?"

"He's in his study on a business call."

I get off my bed, stride downstairs, and I walk into his office. My father speaks using the Bluetooth, his arms folded and wrinkling up his gray dress shirt.

Once his gaze lands on me, he tells whoever is on the other line that he will call them back.

Dad rolls up the sleeves of his crisp dress shirt, stands in front of his desk, and crosses one loafer over the other as he leans against it.

"Did you and Snow have a fight?"

I tilt my head to the side. "How did you know?"

"Snow sleeps under the tree by your bedroom window. He does that every time you two have a fight."

I try to keep the tears from falling down my cheeks, but I need to tell my father what is going on before I end up dead. So I blurt it all out.

"Snow's father ordered him to kill me over Bailey's death. His father blames me for it. And it is my fault."

I see the look on my father's face, full of rage.

"Was Sno—"

"Going to go through with it? According to him, no. He was plotting a revenge plan to get back at his father. To kill him. He said that he married me to protect me, but he kept me in the dark. I broke the marriage off, Father. I'm sorry your daughter won't be married to an owner of the American Billionaire Club."

"You will be. I'll find you another husband."

I flop down onto the chair in front of him. "Am I always going to be second in my husband's life?"

"Sometimes. This is our lifestyle. I can't change the rules." He sighs. "Snow is only following the rules, even though he's not the CEO yet. I can understand why he didn't tell you."

"So you're on his side?"

"Never, sweetheart. I'm always on your side. His father won't get anywhere near you. I promise. I'm going to kill him myself." My father leans down and kisses me on the cheek. "I'll take care of Snow. Do you want him gone?"

I don't reply, but he takes my answer as a yes, so he heads toward the front door. I follow after him as he finds Snow sleeping under the tree.

"Get up!" my father yells. "My daughter told me about your father wanting her dead. Why the fuck are you even here?"

Snow looks at me and my father. "Because I can't be away from Lyrical, sir."

"Go before I kill you, Snow. It's over between you and my daughter. She doesn't want you."

"You can go ahead and kill me if you must, but I'm not going away until she orders me away, sir."

My father looks at him, then back at me in confusion. "Has he always been this clingy?"

I nod my head and Snow rolls his eyes, crossing his arms.

"You've got to the count of thr—"

"You can't keep me from your daughter. So go ahead and kill me. Slice me up, toss me in the ocean. Then go after my father because he wants her dead."

Without taking his eyes off of Snow, my father says, "Let me speak to Snow alone."

I do what he says and go inside the living room, where my mother is now sitting on the couch. She's watching The Golden Girls and I sit next to her, biting my nails. I don't want my father to kill Snow.

"Are you going to tell me what's going on?" My mother props her feet onto the coffee table.

I tell her everything, leaving out the revenge part.

"In this lifestyle, you will have to be a pawn to your husband and be second sometimes. I'm not telling you to accept it, but we were always supposed to be their trophy wives and bear their children. Snow should have told you about his father, but they live by this code of conduct. They are not supposed to tell you what's going on."

I hang on to her every word, and she's right, but it doesn't stop the betrayal and pain I feel about how he lied to my face. I lay my head on my mother's lap and cry for several moments.

My father and Snow walk into the living room, and I sit up quickly, wiping the tears from my eyes.

"Snow and I have an understanding. He will be staying here until we kill his father."

"What the fuck?" I yell.

"Until his father is dead, Snow has our protection," my father says.

Snow shrugs, and I push past him. He turns on his heel and follows behind me, up the stairs.

"Lyrical."

I stop, trying to keep the tears at bay—trying to be strong here.

I don't turn around, afraid I might give in to my feelings for him.

When I don't turn around, he says, "I'm sorry."

Those words go straight through my heart.

"It's not enough," I answer.

"I know."

He moves past me and walks to the guest room, which is the room across from mine. We have several guestrooms in this gigantic mansion, yet he chose that one.

Moments later, he shoves my sketch journal into my hands—the one he stole from me, all those months ago.

I run my fingers over the worn leather and flip through the pages fast, noting that Snow wrote on some of his favorite sketches. When I land on the last page, I find a drawing of us as stick figures, with a gigantic heart around us and the caption, Snow and Lyrical forever . My tears splash onto the page. I didn't even realize I was crying again.

Is he giving it back to prove that he's sorry?

"I'm sorry this isn't enough, Snow. I love you, but this will never work between us. After we find your father and you kill him, it's over between us."