“I can’t believe you have this already,” Chloe says, her eyes flashing with envy as she grabs my phone from the nightstand. “Can I have it?”
Normally, I’d instantly have given in. I don’t think I’ve ever told her no before when I didn’t have to, but this time, I want to. I shouldn’t really care, but it’s the first gift Dion has ever given me.
“I can’t give it to you. I’m sorry.”
Chloe’s brows knit together, and she clenches her jaw. “What?” she says, surprised. “Why not? Dion will just buy you a new one, won’t he?”
I hesitate. “I can’t just ask him for a new phone, Chloe,” I murmur, my tone apologetic.
She grits her teeth and throws me a scornful glare. “Must be nice,” she murmurs. “Knowing you’ll become a Windsor soon. There’s almost nothing you won’t have, huh? I’d trade places with you in a heartbeat. At least it’d make the pain worth it.”
My eyes widen in surprise at the venom in her voice. It kills me to watch more and more of her spirit fade away each time Father hurts her. My sweet little sister is becoming jaded and bitter as time passes, and there’s nothing I can do to prevent it. I can’t protect her. All I can do is pray that Abigail is right, and things will get better once Father has the money he was promised.
I glance back at my phone, regret settling in my chest. I should just give it to her and buy myself a cheap one. It’s the least I can do. Dion would never notice, and if he does, he likely won’t care.
My phone buzzes in Chloe’s hand, and her expression sours further. I glance over, the color draining from my face when I see the name on my screen.
Husband.
Heat rushes through me, and I grab the phone out of her hands. Chloe stares at me in shock, her expression one I’ve never seen before. It’s more than the mild material envy I’ve gotten used to.
“Hello?” I answer carefully, hesitantly. It could only be Dion, but a small part of me is still scared it might be someone else, that this is some kind of weird joke.
“Faye,” Dion says, and my heart skips a beat. The way he says my name has always been different, possessive somehow. “You’re not asleep yet, are you?”
I sit down on my bed and glance at Chloe, who is staring at me with an expression I can’t quite read. “No,” I murmur. “I’m still awake. I was just about to go to bed, though.”
Chloe looks away and walks out of my room, the door slamming closed behind her. I wince, my own mood plummeting. I’ve never felt so helpless. Father’s increased aggression toward her combined with the loss of Linda’s presence is eating at her. No matter how hard I try, I can’t protect her — not fully.
“I wanted to see your expression, you know?”
I frown as I get into bed, pulling the covers over me. “What do you mean?” I ask, my voice soft.
“I’ve been daydreaming about it… the way you’d look when you saw an incoming call from me, Husband flashing across your screen.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks, and I clear my throat awkwardly, my thoughts clearing. “My sister was holding my phone when you called,” I tell him. “I don’t think I’ve ever yanked something out of her hand so quickly. She probably thinks I’m some sort of weird cliché person now.”
Dion chuckles, and the sound makes my heart race. I haven’t spoken to him since our trip a few weeks ago, but things definitely aren’t the way they used to be. The distance between us has decreased, and the thought of marrying him no longer torments me. I’m not even sure when that changed, but somewhere along the line, I stopped dreading my wedding day. I’m not exactly looking forward to it either, but I’m no longer scared he’ll hurt me the way my father does.
Even when he’s furious, he doesn’t make me feel unsafe. There have been times that his words were rough, but his touch never has been. If Dion was going to hurt me, he’d have done it when he caught me speaking to Eric. It’s odd, but somehow, I’m a little grateful it happened at all. I’d never be able to explain it to Dion, but witnessing him getting that angry and still not raise his hand was strangely reassuring.
“Is she still there?” he asks.
“No. I’m in bed now.” Dion groans, and I bite down on my lip. “I… I mean…”
“Forty-eight days,” he murmurs. “Do you have any idea how hard it was to share a bed with you, knowing I couldn’t touch you?”
I smile as my eyes fall closed. “You really are counting down? I thought you didn’t want to marry me, either.”
Dion falls silent for a moment. “I didn’t,” he admits. “But I’m glad it’s you, Faye.”
I tighten my grip on the phone, my heart racing. Dion treated me coldly for years, as though he couldn’t care less about me, like I was a major inconvenience he didn’t want in his life. I was always scared of what would happen if he had to tolerate me in his space continuously. He seemed to hate being around me, and I assumed he was just hiding his cruelty, the way my father does in public. I’ve never been more grateful to be proven wrong about someone.
“I’m actually calling to let you know that I’ll be away for a couple of weeks. I need to finalize my company’s move. I should be back two weeks before the wedding.”
“Thank you,” I murmur. “I really like hearing that from you personally.” For years, I kept track of where he was or what he was up to through the gossip magazines. The Herald, in particular, loves reporting on the movements of the Windsors. Whenever Dion was pictured with another woman, my father would become angrier than usual, and I liked having a heads up of sorts. I always made sure I saw the articles before he did, so I could better shield Linda and Chloe and keep them out of his sight.
“Would it be okay if I ask a question?”
“Of course, Faye. You can ask me anything, anytime. I know I wasn’t always the most attentive, but that’ll change now. You’re entitled to me. All of me.”
I fall silent, surprised by his answer. “I was just wondering why you’re moving the company, instead of asking me to move to London with you,” I say eventually.
He sighs, pausing for a moment. “It was an agreement with my grandmother,” he admits. “She let me study and work overseas so long as I promised to move back home when I got married. My time is up, so I’m honoring my promise.”
I nod to myself. “I see. Do you think you’ll miss it?” I can’t help but wonder about the life he’s leaving behind. Does he have friends there? My stomach twists as my thoughts turn in a different direction. He promised me fidelity, but that doesn’t mean he isn’t leaving someone behind in London, the way I’m leaving Eric in the past.
“Yeah,” he answers instantly. “I’ll miss it, but we’ll probably have to go back every few months, anyway. I handle all of our foreign assets, so I’m always either in the UK, Australia, or Canada. Every once in a while we’ll travel to Asia, but not as often.”
“I would go with you?” I ask, before remembering his grandmother’s rule. Once we’re married, we aren’t allowed to be apart for more than three consecutive days. If we are, Dion loses his inheritance, and the payments to my father will stop.
“I would hope so,” he says carefully. “I didn’t mean to assume, Faye.”
“No, I’m sorry. I just forgot about the rules for a moment, that’s all.” I hesitate for a moment. “Will you… will you be okay flying?”
Dion falls silent. “Yeah,” he says eventually. “I’ll be okay, sweetheart. It’ll be nice to have you with me, though. Something to look forward to, I suppose.”
I turn in bed, my thoughts drifting to the future. It no longer seems so bleak, so scary. I’m not sure if we’d be able to find happiness together, but knowing there won’t be any pain is such a relief.
“That does mean you’ll have to finish the house yourself, baby.”
My eyes widen as excitement courses through me. “I can? Would that be okay?”
He chuckles, and I grip my phone tightly. “Of course, Faye. I can’t wait to see what you do with our home. When we initially discussed it, we seemed to be on the same page in terms of decor, so it should be fine. I left a list of all our contractors with my grandmother. They know you’ll be contacting them, so don’t hesitate to ask for anything you want. There’s an interior design company we often use if you prefer it, but you really seemed to like the thought of decorating, so I thought I’d leave it to you.”
“Thank you,” I rush to say. “For trusting me with this. You have no idea how much this means to me, Dion. I won’t let you down, I promise.”
He laughs. “You’re so fucking adorable,” he murmurs. “Forty-eight days… at least I’ll be working through most of it, so maybe that’ll help pass the time.”
Heat rushes to my cheeks, and I squeeze my eyes closed. The thought of sharing a bed with him always terrified me. I was scared he’d use me, that he’d be rough and hurt me, taking only what he needs with no care for my comfort. I assumed it’d be a new kind of punishment, and maybe in some ways it still will be, but I’m no longer scared in the same way I used to be.
“I have to go. I’ll try to call you every once in a while, alright? If you need anything at all, just text me. The time difference is a little inconvenient, but I’ll make it work.”
“Okay,” I murmur. “Have a safe flight, Dion.” For a moment, I consider asking him to text me once he’s safely landed, but then I think better of it. Part of me is still scared to inconvenience him. Drawing any attention to myself or asking for anything has always resulted in pain in the long run, and I don’t really want to risk it.
Dion seems to hesitate for a moment, but then he sighs. “Night, Faye. I’ll see you soon.”
He ends the call, and I stare at my phone, my heart heavy. I didn’t want to stop talking to him, and I’m not sure what to make of that.
