Chapter 14 1 don't even remember how I got out of that house . All I had was one single , sharp conclusion echoing through my head- I must not be their daughter . And I had to find out the truth . with the idea that my own parents were capable of It was the only explanation I could cling to - because otherwise , how could I I live v being this cruel ? The moment I got back to my apartment , I collapsed into bed . I didn't move until my phone started ringing It was Ivanna . I didn't wait for her to ask anything - 1 just blurted out everything my parents had done . [ ] And , yes … I also told her about the one - night stand . I left out the proposal . ] Ivanna let out a scream so high - pitched it could probably shatter glass and murder all the plants in my apartment . [ ] "You had a one - night stand ?! And you didn't FaceTime me live from the scene ?! " ] I switched the phone to speaker and tossed it onto the couch , slumping hack into the cushions with my eyes closed Her voice kept going like fireworks : " Who is he ? What mythological realm did this man descend from ? Are you telling me you actually , finally , let Rhys go ? Don't tell me - he looks like Michelangelo carved him , or . " 1 She paused . I could picture her sitting up on her sofa , wrapped in a blanket , making that infamous , exaggerated gesture . " A wand of unnatural proportions ? " " You are - so . Incredibly . Annoying . " I groaned , dragging a pillow over my face " You're dodging the topic , " she snapped back instantly Yes Yes , I w I never had things from Ivanna Not even the ugliest parts of my story . Not even last night I slept with a man whose last name I couldn't remember [ ] fast to peel Rhys's residue off my skin - for a minute , an hour , a night - whatever it took to feel free again . Was it liberating ? ] No. It was revenge , escape , a cocktail of both with a guilt chaser . [ ] But Ivanna wasn't here to judge me . ] She was here to douse the flames - even if it was only through the tiny speaker in my living room . " At least tell me this , " she said suddenly , her voice lowering , softer . " Was he hot ? Like , close your eyes and you can still see his brow bone hot ? " Hot 1 muntered into the pillow . " And when he touched you … did it feel like he knew you were something rare ? Like you were a limited edition made just for him ? " ] clenched my jaw . Didn't answer . " Oh my god , " she breathed tually slept with someone who was worth it 1 " You actually I kept my eyes closed , and for some reason , that one sentence felt like a suture pulled gently over the tear in my chest . My parents ' voices still echoed in my head - sharp , suffocating , like burnt toast you couldn't scrape off . The way they'd discarded me - so clinical , so composed . Like tossing out a baby bottle that had outlived its use . " Mira , " her voice shifted again , quieter , steadier . You can do anything . Screw up , break down , love the wrong person - it's all fine . But you can't carry all of this alone anymore . " I said nothing Just pulled my knees to my chest and pressed my face into them " I'm here , " she whispered " Wherever you go . Whatever you do . I'm here . " I didn't cry I swear I didn't I just clenched my jaw , shut my eyes tighter , and swallowed the words thank you like a pill I couldn't quite get down . [ ] I glanced at the time ] I had to go to work that my parents had made it clear I was disposable , my job was the one thing I couldn't afford to screw up Of course , they believed I worked as a barista . ] ] They'd forladden me from having a corporate job their minds , once married , I should be home full ume - a perfect linde housewife || So I never told them what I really did . ] ] Dragging my exhausted body out the door . I headed to Ground & Pound - my workplace . The name ? Chosen because the owner figured it had no real brand potential . Was it a sexy coffee shop ? An underground MMA gym ? Who knew ? Who cared ? But it was decent . [] Stable And for now - safe . Well until it no longer existed . [ ] * Mira My boss , Benny , greeted me like I was his parole officer - nervous , sweaty , probably two seconds away from peeing his pants . [ ] He was in his forties , wore a man bun that did no favors for his hairline , and his arms were covered in tattoos best described as regrettable - one of which included a goat wearing sunglasses [ ] You dont don't need to be here today . I was just about to call you . He stared at the floor . " You're not on the schedule anymore . " Excuse me ? " You've been let go . I'm really sorry . I didn't want to , but … I got a call . From your mom. My stomach dropped . " She threatened to report us , said she'd have our license revoked if I didn't fire you . " Benny kept staring at the floor . I'm sorry . I couldn't do anything " 1 " She runs a luxury skincare company , Benny . Not the goddamn FBI ' He shrugged helplessly . " She said she'd report us for health code violations . And you know she's got connections . She could actually pull it off . " I took a deep breath . Yelling at Benny wouldn't do anything . This wasn't his fault || Before I did something stupid - like hurl a milk jug out the window - I stormed out 0 I didn't hate that job . Being a barista was just a side hustle. [ ] What really paid the bills - what no one knew except Ivanna - was muy Jewelry design . Ever since I was a kid , my mom had told me I was average . Ordinary . Talentless . Every her shadow Every time I tried to shine , she dragged me back into Eventually , I learned to obey . I buried my ambition , wore gray feathers like a peacock pretending to be a pigeon . ] So no , I didn't care about losing the coffee shop job What infuriated ne wasn't unemployment . It was that this - this power move - was her 0 Her fingerprints were all over it . ] ] It was her punishment . A response to me trying to escape Rhys . Trying to escape her . || She was sending me a message : You don't get to walk away I can destroy any scrap of pride you think you've earned - with one finger . If she thought I'd come crawling back , like I used to , begging for her approval [] She could go to hell . I wasn't her puppet anymore . [] I was done playing the good girl . [ ] Thirty minutes later , I shoved open the front door of the Vance estate . No knocking . I didn't care . [ ] I had come ready to start round two of our family war . What I found instead was s something far worse . My parents were sitting on the ivory couch in the living room , sipping wine worth more than my rent , laughing - laughing - with a man I didn't recognize . ] ] The scene was picturesque . Like they'd stepped right out of How to Host the Perfect Suburban Power Dinner . The man looked like a slimy , watered down version of a 1950s mogul - maybe one who'd spent time in white - collar prison and came out with a tailor . Custom suit Shin unbuttoned to mid - chest , revealing a patch of chest hair that looked like someone had just trimmed a Christmas wreath . His teeth were too white , his smile too polished - like greed dipped in varnish . [ ] " Darling , " my mother cooed , sweet as syrup , " coane meet Mr. Leonard Shaw , CEO of Alcott Shipping . A true self - made man . There's so much you could learn from him - about turning raw talent into real success . " || It hat like a scented hammer to the face [ ] Leonard grinned ear to ear . His eyes - no , his eyes went straight under my skirt . " Lovely to meet you , Miss Vance , " he said . " I do hope we get to talk more . I always enjoy mentoring young women . Especially smart , beautiful ones like yourself . " An't bother hiding my expression [ ] It wasn't disgust . It was nausea He was practically licking has tips I could hear the soundtrack of Indecent Proposal playing in his head . " Mira , " my mother warned in that sugar - coated threat tone , " don't be rude . Shake Mr. Shaw's hand . " I didn't move . I didn't even blink . [ ] If someone had thrown a raccoon at me in that moment , I'd have hugged it over touching Leonard's hand [ ] Caroline's laugh rang out , high and brittle , like she was trying to cover up my resistance . [ ] " Young people are so sensitive these days , aren't they ? " she said to Leonard , with the practiced tone of someone saying she'll come around . Leonard just waved it off . I like a girl with a little fire . " Yeah , and I like dentists who don't need pliers . We can't all get ! t what we want . 0 And my father - the same man who , just days ago , told me " we'll take care of everything " -was now nodding at Leonard like a hotel concierge hoping for a good tip That's when I understood This wasn't an introduction . It was a presentation . I was the product on display tonight . This wasn't about meeting a " promising single man . " This was a sale . I was being marketed like a financial package with a bonus gift When Leonard finally left - leaving behind a cloud of cologne and a trail of sleaze - I turned to face them . ] " What the hell was that ? " My mother raised her wine glass , took a slow , triumphant sip . ] " That , " she said with a smile , " was y your future husband . "