My father steps forward, making his way over to the grieving widow and her daughter. He doesn’t know my connection. At least, not yet. He’ll learn. His hand takes the older woman’s, holding it as if he’s about to kiss it, but he doesn’t. That would be sacrilege, kissing a widow while her husband is lowered into a hole in the ground. Another smile threatens to break free, but I fight it again.
The girl, she glances up quickly, but when she spots Cassian and me, she lowers her lashes and hides behind her curtain of sleek black hair. Just that one split second, I recognized something in her eyes, a darkness that sings to my soul.
They say, like sees like, I think that’s what I’ve just found. Lucky for me, I’ll have time to learn all her secrets. And I cannot wait. My father continues talking, his eyes never leaving the woman’s, it’s almost as if he’s enamored with her. There’s a familiarity between them, and I wonder briefly if they’re more than business associates.
My stepmother isn’t here. She is visiting her daughter, Nesrin, and Damien in London. To be honest, I would rather be anywhere than here right now. Cassian’s hand on my shoulder offers a squeeze. I can’t look at him. Not right now, because my focus is on my father. He knows I’m watching them. But my older brother doesn’t see what I do. He doesn’t know what I know.
Secrets in Thorne Haven have a way of burying themselves deep in the recesses of the mind. My thoughts are still plagued with the lies and fake smiles that I’ve witnessed. Damien, and Cassian, don’t know why my mother left, and they certainly don’t know I was witness to it all. They think our father is a good man. A bit of a tyrant, but all in all, a good man.
I know better.
I’ve seen the other side.
Suddenly, my attention is caught on movement in the distance, and when I flit my gaze over to the parking lot, I notice a figure partly hidden behind a tree. His watchful gaze is on me as it usually is. This time, my mouth quirks, and I wonder if he can see it.
I have my own secrets. Things I can’t tell anyone about. And even though I know they constantly eat away at my soul, I can’t stop myself from keeping them. When passion ignites, there’s no stopping it. He shifts out of sight, and I offer a look to Cassian to tell him I’m leaving. I can’t stand here any longer.
But as I make my move, Father turns to regard me, then he calls me over as the priest invites everyone to filter around the hole in the ground. Men lift their shovels to fill with dirt before they start the process of covering the wooden box that houses a dead body.
Without question or debate, I head toward my dad, who I know will have something to say about my almost escape. It’s as if he has a tracker on me lately. But when I reach him, and the woman who’s still sniffling beside him, my gaze is dragged back to the girl in black.
Her long hair is sleek straight, like a dark satin curtain. Her black Kohl-rimmed eyes are wide, chocolate brown, and her tanned skin is just a shade lighter than how I like my milky coffee.
Her lips are full, plump with a shimmer, and I wonder if she tastes like the mocha-flavored drink I enjoy. The moment she looks at me, her mouth parting slightly, I realize why she looks so familiar. She’s a pristine princess that enjoys documenting her life on social media. Everything about her is perfect. At least, that’s what she shows the world.
That is the problem with perfection, it’s never real.
Anger surges in my gut at the lies she keeps hidden in those perfect almond-shaped eyes. They dance like flames, taunting me closer like a moth, wanting to singe itself. I should be afraid to go near her, because I know her type. The girl who needs and craves the attention.
I can’t deny she’s beautiful. Breathtakingly so. However, I’m no longer in need of someone who can’t be real. I’ve spent my life hiding in the shadows, and if my father thinks I’m going to marry her, he has another thing coming.
“Finn.” My father’s voice drags my attention back to him. “This is Zaria and her mother, Amira. I’m sure you know them.” He doesn’t need to tell me why I’m here, meant to smile at the two women because I already know. He informed me last year what he wants from me, and now it’s coming to fruition. I’ll fight him every step of the way. And I hope before the month is up, he changes his mind. I don’t care what I have to do, but I will not take this lying down.
“Hello, lovely to meet you,” I greet the older woman first, offering her my hand, which she accepts. Being a gentleman was ingrained in me at a young age. And as I grew older, it runs through my veins. “I’m sorry for your loss.”
“Thank you, Finn,” Amira says, while offering me a teary smile. She truly is heartbroken. Most times we attend funerals, especially those of men who my father works with, their widows fake the tears. Amira is different. There truly was love between her and her husband.
“Unfortunate that we had to meet in such terrible circumstances,” I tell her, trying to make an impression. I don’t give a shit about my father, or the young girl beside me. When I find a person who is real, I will offer them the truth in return.
“I appreciate that,” she says softly. I press a kiss to her knuckles before releasing her hand. With the soft rosy hue on her tear-stained cheeks, I know I’ve made my impression. The moment I do, panic sets in because I don’t want to look at her daughter. But I can’t refuse to, it would only bring on questions I don’t want to answer.
My father’s glare burns into the side of my face. If I don’t move quickly, he’ll lose his shit when we get back to the house. So, instead of starting a war at home, I turn toward her. When my stare lands on Zaria, I can’t bring myself to touch her. Fury burns through my veins at the sight of her. This is the woman I’m meant to marry. We will be engaged by Halloween, if my father has his way. But there is no love between us. She’s nothing more than a vapid stranger. I would never choose someone like her as my wife.
Not because she isn’t beautiful.
But because she can never love the monster inside me.
2
ZARIA
I didn’t expect the funeral to pass by so quickly. But it did and now that I’m home, in my bedroom, safe from Finn Thorne, I can replay our meeting. He’s handsome. More than I could have imagined. I’ve seen photos of him on social media, in the press, and from my mother after Dad’s passing. She explained that soon, I’ll have to go to Thorne Haven, to live with the Thornes in their home and to get to know my future husband.
The idea is ridiculous.
But there was something about Finn that had me intrigued. Closing my eyes, I lie back on the bed, and picture him once more. His brown eyes that are so dark, they’re almost black. His tousled inky hair that looks like he just ran his fingers through it countless times, along with those perfectly-shaped lips that couldn’t say more than one word to me.
In photos, he’s handsome, but in real life, that sharp, angular jaw with his tanned skin makes for a breathtaking man. And I want to know more about him. There’s not much in the papers about his personal life. He does like to party, but for the past year, he’s gone almost radio silent. And that makes me wonder just what happened to have him change so drastically.