Mash caught on that something was off and opened his mouth to say something.
But I beat him to it with a little smile. “She won’t.-||
Nash looked confused. “Won’t what?“||
I swallowed my hite of rice, but before I could answer, Lucas cut me off with this low, warning voice
“Enough. Just eat.”
He stared at me hard, something dark swirling in his i
I kept my head down and focused on my plate.[]
sryes
After dinner, Nash was heading out when he spotted the grand piano in the living room.
“Damn, that’s a beautiful instrument. Who’s the musician?”
Iris practically floated over to the bench and started playing some basic piece
When she finished, she soaked up Nash’s polite applause and said all coy. “I just started lessons recently. My teacher says I’m a total natural–better than people who’ve been playing for years.”
She shot me this pointed look. Real subtle
Thing is, I’d been classically trained since I was five Piano, violin, you name it. Piano was my strongest. I’d oven performed at Carnegie Hall when I was twenty two.
Iris knew all this and always got super hitter about it. Used to say if she’d had money for lessons, she would’ve blown me out of the water.
Now, after six years in prison she figured I’d be rusty as hell.
She turned to me with this fake–sweet smile. “Brook, didn’t you used to play? You should show us what you’ve got.”
Lucas’s face went tense, like he wanted to shut this down.
But my hands were already on the keys
What came out was rich, complex, absolutely flawless. Made her little beginner plece sound like “Chopsticks”
Both Lucas and Nash looked genuinely stunned. When I finished, they burst into applause
Iris looked like she was about to vomit. Pure hatred in her eyes.
Nash walked over, suddenly way more interested. “Holy shit, you’re incredible. Eve got this vintage Steinway at my place–you should come check it out sometime.
I started to answer, but Lucas cut in fast. “It’s getting late, Nash. You should head out. Make sure fris gets home safe.”
Nash looked disappointed but took the hint. Iris shot me one last death glare as they left
Then it was just me and Lucas in this massive, cold room.
I pulled my cardigan tighter. The A
The AC was arctic, but Lucas’s expression was even icier.
He grabbed my wrist, hard. “Jesus, Brook. Five minutes out of prison and you’re already fla
I hardly reacted, just gave him this tired half smile]
flirting? Have some damn dignity.”
Dignity? I’d lost forty pounds, looked like a ghost, and felt about as feminine as a paper bag.
When I didn’t fight back didn’t map at him like I used to something shifted in his face. Like he was seeing me for the first time.
His grip loosened. Voice went softer. “I didn’t mean… look, I’m gonna fix this, okay? Just not right now. But our engagement still stands.““]
Then he paused, studying my face. “What did you mean earlier? When you said she won’t‘?”
The way he was staring at me, like my answer actually mattered–it was almost funny.
