His jaw tightened. “Because I knew you didn’t want him.”
I tilted my head to the side. “So, if I wanted him to fuck me, you’d be okay with that?”
He shrugged. “Sure.” His tone belied his words.
Why was I having this discussion? “It doesn’t matter, Dean. I don’t want what you’re offering anymore.” I reached for the handle again.
“It’s not about you and me, Reyna. Are you really so stupid that you don’t see that?”
I didn’t like being called stupid, especially since what he was really saying was that I was naïve.
“You and I are getting married because that’s what our parents want,” he ground out.
“No. I don’t care who wants it. I don’t. It’s not happening.” This time, I could get the door opened and my bag out of it. I hurried to the elevator, hoping he didn’t follow me. When the door of his room clicked shut, I let out a sigh of relief. He was letting me go. But I knew he was doing it because he figured my parents would force me to follow through on the marriage. As much as my parents really wanted this match, I couldn’t imagine they’d force me to marry a man who was cheating on me. Surely, along with their plans for me, they wanted me to be happy.
When I left Dean’s suite, I returned to the lobby, but I was so shaken that I went to the bar instead of getting in my car and driving home. Since my intention was to eventually drive home, I ordered a diet soda and sat at the bar wondering what the hell had just happened to my life. I realized that the only plans that were ruined were the ones to marry Dean. I still had my last semester of law school to finish and the career path I’d been working toward.
When I finished my drink, I went back to my car, climbing in, paying the hefty garage fee, and starting toward home. It would be nearly four in the morning when I arrived, but my anger would keep me awake.
I was at a stoplight when my phone rang with my mother’s ringtone. I braced myself, wondering why she was calling. It didn’t seem possible that she knew what happened between me and Dean, so she was probably wondering why I’d ditched her party.
I poked the answer button on my car’s steering wheel. “Hello, Mom.”
“What is this I’m hearing that you’re calling off the wedding?”
The light turned green, and I pressed the accelerator to move forward. “He’s cheating on me. With Caryn.”
“I always told you that girl was no good. You should’ve cut her out of your life years ago.”
I came up to another red light and stopped, staring at the console that showed my mother’s name on the call. “It takes two to tango, Mom. And based on what he said, I’m pretty sure she’s not the only one.”
My mother was silent for a moment, and I thought maybe I was getting through. No one wanted to marry a man they knew felt that affairs were the norm.
“You cannot back out of this wedding. Not now. Your dad is too close to getting this deal done.”
I gaped, shocked at what my mother was saying. When Dean told me our marriage wasn’t in our hands, I didn’t believe him. But my mother’s words suggested that he was right.
“No.” I heard myself saying the word before I thought through the wisdom of it. I’d never stood up to her before.
“Your father and I have sacrificed a lot to get you where you are. All we ask in return is that you marry Dean. I don’t care what he does. You must do this for your father.”
My eyes filled with tears as I realized my mother didn’t care how I felt.
I pulled over to the side of the road because driving was difficult with the tears and pain. “What about me, Mom? Don’t I deserve someone who loves me? Someone who honors our commitment?”
“Let’s talk about love and commitment. Your father and I have given it to you in spades, and now you’re betraying us.”
I shook my head, shocked at her reasoning. “I can’t do it, Mom.”
She was quiet again, and tension rose as I waited to hear what she'd say. “You’ll marry him, Reyna, or we’re done with you. You can’t come home, and we won’t continue to pay for school. All of it is done.”
My mother could’ve stabbed me in the heart and it wouldn’t have felt as painful and shocking as what she had just said.
“Now come home and follow through on your commitment. If you’re not going to do that, then don’t bother returning.”
The line went dead.
I learned some hard truths. Dean was right. I was stupid and naïve. As strict and domineering as my parents were, I’d always thought they cared for and supported me as a person. As I sat in my car on the side of the Vegas Strip, it sank in that they didn’t. I was a means to an end. So was Dean, although it was hard to see him as a victim.