“How? Lying is your own choice,” I growl.

She takes a deep breath, preparing for the words that’ll destroy everything I knew and believed. “She threatened to kill you, Miles. I gave you up to save you.”

CHAPTER 27

VANESSA

Prom Night

Miles drove me home after our night together. It’s way past midnight, and I’m sure that when my mother finds out that I’m back home, she’ll kill me. Especially if she finds out I ran off with him … And then there’s the fact that I’m no longer a virgin.

Oh, god.

She’s really going to kill me, which is why I’m not going through the front door.

I make my way to the back of the house where there’s a tree, and I grab a tree branch and pull to see if it’s safe. It seems thick enough, so I put one foot against the trunk and pull myself up.

Something’s stuck on my foot, however, and I can’t hold my balance. I’m pulled down the tree and land on the dirty soil headfirst.

Only when I open my eyes do I notice my mother standing right above me.

It was her hand that dragged me down.

“What are you doing?”

“Mother, I—”

“Trying to escape my punishment, hmm?” she says.

She kicks the dirt around me, and I spit out the earth that’s almost inside my mouth.

“Get up!” she spits.

“Mother, I’m sorry—”

“Ah,” she interrupts as I get up from the floor. “I don’t want to hear any of it.”

“But—”

“You’re late. You didn’t come home with Phillip. And now I find you here, trying to climb a tree? Have you lost your damn mind?”

“I can explain,” I say, as she grabs my arm.

“No, you’re coming inside right now,” she says, pulling me toward the front door.

As we step inside, I see someone sitting in the living room, and it makes the hairs on the back of my neck stand up. In shock, I stare as he turns around to face me.

“Hello, Vanessa.” It’s Phillip.

“What are you doing here?” I say.

“The question is, why weren’t you here?” my mother says.

I exchange looks with the two of them, but I come up with nothing. He’s here, but why? After what he did, he shouldn’t even dare to come near me. I’m almost inclined to pick up a glass from the table and throw it at his face.

“Don’t,” my mother says, stepping in front of me. “I know what you’re thinking, but you’re not going to do anything.” She looks deep into my eyes, grabbing my chin to make me look at her, too. “I know everything. I know what happened. And you’re not going to get away with this.”

I swallow, pushing back the tears at the sight of my mother picking someone else’s side. Again. “If you know everything, then you know he didn’t protect me either.”

“You’d better keep your mouth shut, Vanessa.” Her fingers curl around my lips. “Or I’ll make sure you will.”

“You don’t care about me at all, do you? I just told you that he stood by and watched while his friend tried to assault me and you don’t even blink?” I say, my voice fluctuating in tone.

My mother shoves me against the wall. “You will not speak of it again. Do you hear me?” she hisses, her saliva shooting out onto the wall like a snake spits venom. “You’ll forget what you saw. What he did to you. You’ll only remember that boy … Miles … and that he hit Phillip’s friend in a fit of rage.”

“No!” I yell, pushing her off me. “That’s not true!”

“You will lie when asked about it!” Her voice rises. “Or I will make sure that boy meets the fate he’s so eager to bring others.”

For a moment, it’s quiet, and I can hear only exasperated breaths and my own heart beating in my throat. Phillip just stares at us with a slight smile on his face, like this is amusing to him. Like he’s won. I squint and make a face at him. Those who don’t deserve it always have the sourest wins.

“You know the school is going to hear about this,” I say after a while, folding my arms.

“Yes, and when they do, you will lie to them.” She turns her head toward Phillip. “You won’t implicate Phillip in any way.”

“Then what do you want me to do? If I lie, they’ll know. Miles will tell the truth.”

She glances at me over her shoulder. “And who do you think they’ll believe? You or some petty rat?”

I wince. “Don’t call him that.”

“Oh, then what would you like me to call him? A pest? An idiot? Your lover?”

“Stop it,” I say.

“Your lover?”

“I said stop!”

She suddenly marches toward me and grabs my throat. “Make no mistake, Vanessa. I might be your mother, but I am first and foremost a businesswoman, and when something threatens my business, I take care of it. You will marry Phillip so our families can be united, and nothing will stand in the way of that happening.”

“I will stand in the way.”

“Don’t you dare try … or I will make sure Miles never sees another sunrise again.”

“You wouldn’t …” I mutter.

“Kill him?” She smiles, and so does Phillip when their eyes connect. “Why not? It’s not like I haven’t done it before … and it’s not like he’s useful.”

“He’s useful to me!” I yell.

“Stop it,” she says. “He was never useful to anyone. He’s just a pathetic kid who craves attention. He’s not worthy of your love. Phillip is.” She points at him. “You will lie to the principal so Miles will get expelled. If you don’t, I will have him killed.”

My lips quiver as she lets go of my throat. I can’t believe what I’m hearing. My mother … she’s a monster.

“I love him, Mother.”

She looks down at the floor and starts laughing. First softly, and then hysterically. Like she’s lost her mind. “You don’t love him. Don’t mistake a one-night fling for love.”

“I know what love feels like, Mother. And I can clearly tell you have no clue about any of it.”

She narrows her eyes at me. “Just because you acted like a whore does not make it love, my dear.”

“I am not a whore! Miles cares about me! More than any of you,” I yell, pointing at them both.

My mother muffles a laugh. “Silly girl. Don’t you see? There are far more important things to worry about in life, and this is simply not it. Try to understand.”

“I won’t. I won’t ever understand. I refuse,” I say, slamming my lips together.

“So be it,” she says.

Phillip gets up from his seat, buttoning his vest as if he’s done listening. “I don’t think I’m needed any longer,” he says.

“You were never needed,” I say.

“Vanessa, dear, stop talking,” my mother muses. “You’ve said enough.”

“I won’t let you hurt him,” I say.

She cocks her head and smiles at me in the most creepy way, like she’s possessed. And I know with what: Power. “Well, then … If you want him to live, I guess you’ll just have to do exactly what I say.”

***

PHOENIX

Present

Her entire life story makes me want to rip my own heart out of my chest and hand it to her on a platter.

“I loved you, Miles,” she says, placing her hand on my cheek. “I always did.” She swallows. “And I still do.”

She’s ruined me. Destroyed me. And now, after all these years, I finally learn the truth about her choice, our lives. The reason why I could never be with her, even though we both wanted to.

It was never my choice to separate… but it was never hers, either.

All these years, I thought that she yearned power, the wrong kind of power, the kind that came with lies and deceit. Now, I realize, she chose to do what anyone would do for the person they loved.

She wanted to protect me, and to do that she had to burn whatever was left of her feelings for me. Just to keep me alive … to give me a chance … even if it meant a life without her.

She knew full well what it would do to me. How it would shape me into a man bent on achieving greatness, determined to show her that I could be anything and everything she ever wanted.