Chapter Ten

I’m glad I never talked to them about seeing other people. Even as selfish as it is since I’m with Sebastian. I plan to fix that tonight at dinner though, it’s public enough that everyone will get the picture. I don’t care how he benefits this family, I never plan to marry the douche. They can set him up with Carter if they need the familiar connection.

Avoiding my family wasn’t something that I thought through for the long term. My mother had my dress for tonight’s dinner sent up about an hour ago, they even dress up for Sunday dinner. Leggings and an oversized hoodie sounds like a suitable outfit choice for Sunday dinner. At Beth’s every Sunday she would cook and every one of her foster kids had an open invite. The guys always made it no matter what they had going on. I met a couple of her other foster kids a few times, but most had grown up and moved out of town, and it was just too far for them to travel. But it was fun and full of laughter, most of the laughter directed at Rocky.

I look at myself in the oversized mirror, everything screams fake and I hate it. My hair, my nails, the makeup, even the dress. It’s so damn short I know if I sneeze my ass will hang out. The lace sleeves are to possibly show that it’s classy or take the focus off my ass. The sound of the doorbell rattles through the walls, that’s my cue to head down and put an end to this charade.

My eyes scan the dining room as I make my entrance. It's filled with people, most of them I don’t recognise. I spot my mother and brother talking to a lady who looks just as stuck up as my mum does. My father and another man are standing with a drink in their hands laughing about something. I glance over at an elderly couple seated at the table already. So much for Sunday dinner.

“There you are.” Sebastian accuses appearing out of nowhere. “It’s about time, we’ve been waiting on you.” He grabs me by the arm tight enough I can feel the searing pain radiating up to my elbow.

“Well here I am.” I snap, yanking my arm from his grip. The lady previously talking to my mother heads in our direction. Sebastian freezes and plasters on a fake smile.

“Bristol, nice to see you back.” She says before we do a two cheek kiss.

“Nice to see you.” I don’t address her by name because I don’t remember her.

“Mum, let’s all take a seat so dinner can get started.” She smiles or what you can class as a Botox smile and leads the way to the table. Before anyone can take a seat there seems to be a commotion coming from the foyer.

“Don’t be absurd!” A deep voice booms through the room. My father makes his way towards the voices. Echo saunters into the room with a natural swagger in his step. I smile when my mother gasps. The whole room is dressed in their finest and in he walks wearing his ADIDAS tracksuit and hat turned sideways. “Yo, B! Looks like we’re just in time for dinner.” He isn’t quiet about his entrance either. Sebastian is at my side, a tight grip on my arm again. Echo looks at where his hand is and up to my face, anger radiating off him in waves.

My mother comes rushing over mortified by the interruption. I’m sure she hasn’t told any of her uppity friends about my uncle and his business dealings. “You need to leave right now young man. You’re interrupting our special dinner.”

“No disrespect Mumma bear but the only thing that needs to happen right now is that preppy asshole taking his hands off your daughter before I break his arm. We don’t need dinner and a show…am I right?” I didn’t realise my mother could actually screw her face up the way it is, with all that botox it’s generally expressionless. She doesn’t get a chance to reply before Sebastian drops my arm and storms off mumbling to himself.

Echo just smiles at me when my father and uncle walk into the dining room together. “Dear, it looks like we have an extra two for dinner tonight.” I count back from three in my head before my mother loses her shit. I’ve figured out fast that tantrums are how she gets her way with my father. This time she looks at my uncle and he gives her a smile that says don’t fuck with me and she scowls at him in return.

“Fine.” She huffs and everyone in the room starts to take their seats. I watch as Sebastian takes a seat with his family. He looks at me, expecting me to take a seat beside him. Echo intervenes and seats me between himself and my uncle.

This night suddenly became a lot more fun.

Carter has been awfully quiet tonight. He sits beside our mother, across from us and whispers in her ear. She just nods at whatever he is saying. The little kiss ass.

The women at the table stare at Echo. He leans in and whispers in my ear, “Why are they starin’ at me?”

“You’re not exactly dressed to impress.” He gasps and places a hand over his heart in mock hurt as the masses of gold chains around his neck clink together.

“I don’t know what you mean. This is my best tracksuit.” I laugh, he totally wore that on purpose.

“Why are you even here?” I whisper in Echo’s ear. He turns to me, leaning in.

“Back up, see B there is nothing the big man doesn’t know. He has eyes and ears everywhere.” He doesn’t elaborate any more than that. Our entrees are served and he tucks in, not that there’s much on the plate to tuck into. Once he finishes his, he turns and stabs his fork onto my plate stealing a piece of what looks to be ravioli.

After dinner everyone gathers in the sitting room, the men all grasping their whiskeys making small talk about business, and the woman with their fake smiles talking about charity work. Sebastian has made a point to stick to my side like glue; Echo has made a point to stir him every chance he gets.

“Can I get everyone’s attention?” Sebastian asks from beside me. The room quiets as he gains everyone’s attention. He laces our fingers together and I suppress the urge to gag at the contact. “As you all know Bristol and I have been dating now for a long time. I love her and was going to wait until graduation to do this, but now is as good a time as any.” He drops to one knee causing everyone to gasp but I shake my head at him.

“Get up.” I whisper down to him.

“Bristol, will you marry me?” He can’t be serious right now, this was the least romantic way to ask someone to marry you. I’m shocked as I look around the room. Our mothers are smiling, my father is staring, my uncle looks about ready to pop a gasket and Echo is shaking his head. When I gather myself, I look back down at him. This can’t go on any longer, I can’t pretend anymore.

“Why would you do this now when you know I don’t remember you? From what I do know you’re a dick and there’s no way I would marry you.” His face turns, the real Sebastian is coming out.

“I tried to do this the right way Bristol, but you really don’t get a choice. This marriage is a business deal, you knew that.” He stands and dusts down his slacks. I hear someone crying but don’t turn to see the fake water works, now Echo saying he was here for backup makes total sense.

“I do have a damn choice. The difference between the old Bristol and this new version is I don’t care about the money or the business.” He doesn’t have anything to say.

We are in a stare off when Carter decides to speak up.

“She has some boys now that are happy to pay her way.” I roll my eyes, he is pissed at me. I get it, he seems a little wishy washy with whether he likes me or not. But maybe that’s just how siblings are.

I’m first to break the stare off and turn to my brother.

“Why don’t you just mind your own damn business. Everyone has been pussy footing around me since I came home. I’ve had to put everything together on my own and it’s sucked. Yet no one genuinely seems to give a crap. I’m done, after my exams I’m leaving. I have stayed to try to get my memories back but clearly that isn’t going to happen anytime soon.”

The room has cleared out, the only people left watching me like I’m going crazy are my family and Sebastian.

“This is why you were locked up in the first place, you have these crazy outbursts. I’ll call the doctor tomorrow and look into you going back to…”

My mother wants to lock me up, I forgot I was trying to keep quiet until I turned eighteen for this very reason. “I’m not crazy and I’m not going back to that place.” I turn to my uncle, through the power of deduction I have a feeling that the phone call I was trying to make in my flashback was him. “Don’t let them send me back there, I’m not crazy. I just can’t handle all the lies and how fake everyone is.”

He leans in closer to me and lowers his voice. “Everything comes with a price, I will send Echo to pick you up in the morning.” I nod at his request.

I don’t care what the price is for my freedom from this life at this point. I just want to be done with these people and go back to the life I really want, where I was happy and I could be the real me.