Dr. Grant (Off-Limits)

The sound of my suitcase’s wheels echo along the marble floors. I pause when my grandfather’s office door opens, but I can barely see him through the tears that cloud my vision. I stay rooted in place, shame washing over me. When I walked out of this mansion, I was so certain I’d never return. I chose Noah, never understanding why my grandfather fought so hard to keep us apart.

In the end, I did exactly what I thought I never would. I walked away, only to find myself back here the way my mother did. I swore I’d never be like her. Yet here I am.

Grandpa doesn’t say a word. He just walks up to me and wraps his arms around me. “You’re home, Mari,” he says, and I burst into tears. He hasn’t called me that since I was a child.

I nod and rest my head against his chest, my body heaving from the force of my sobs. Grandpa holds me tightly, his hand stroking my back soothingly, his chin on my head. “You’ll be fine,” he tells me. “You’re my granddaughter. You’re strong, and you’re resilient. There’s nothing you won’t overcome.”

“Grandpa,” I murmur, choking on my sobs. My throat closes up, my tears falling so fast that I can hardly breathe. Grandpa just stands there, letting me soak his expensive Italian suit, not a single chastising word leaving his lips. “I’m sorry,” I tell him.

He pulls away and holds me by my shoulders. I’ve never seen him look so hurt. I’ve never seen tears in his eyes before, but I see them now. “You did nothing wrong, sweetheart. Enough tears now, okay? You’re home, and that’s all that matters.”

He wraps his arm around my shoulder and grabs my suitcase, walking me to my room as I try my best to stop crying. Grandpa sits me down on my bed and kneels in front of me, wiping at my tears with his thumbs. “I know it hurts, sweetheart. I’m sorry I didn’t protect you better. When your mother brought you home, I swore that your father’s actions would never affect you, and I failed you.”

He cups my cheeks, and I wrap my own hands over his. “Why didn’t you tell me, Grandpa?”

He pulls away and sighs. “By the time I realized what was going on between you two, you were heads over heels. I thought that maybe… you’d heal quicker if it’s me breaking you two up. I thought it’d hurt less than having your heart broken over circumstances you can’t control. I just thought it’d be easier if you had someone to blame.”

I nod, my heart twisting painfully. In his own way, he was trying to do the right thing. He was trying to protect me. I was just too stupid to see it.

“Will you let him go?” I whisper. “Let Noah find a new job. I’ll do anything, Grandpa. I’ll work for the family business if you want me to… and I… I’ll marry Gregory.”

Grandpa looks me in the eye, his expression tense. “It’s not your fault,” he repeats. “You are not to blame for your father’s crimes, and you don’t need to make amends for them either.”

“I know,” I murmur. “I know, Grandpa. But if not for me defying your wishes, Noah would have astonishing opportunities. I took them from him. You were mentoring him, and I… I ruined his future. If you help him get back on track, I’ll do everything you asked me to.”

Grandpa inhales deeply, a frown on his face. “You really love him, huh? You’d give up your company for him?”

A tear rolls down my face, and I nod. If not for him, the company never would’ve existed. It’s not me Grayson and Aria are investing in. It’s Noah. I can’t ask Aria to put her money into me, the daughter of the man that murdered her parents. I can’t, and I won’t.

“Get some rest, Mari. Think long and hard about what you just asked me. Marriage is for life, especially when a merger is involved. Don’t tie your life to Gregory’s because you feel guilty now. Your heart will heal. The pain will fade. Marriage? That’ll remain.”

He rises to his feet and looks back at me before closing the door behind him. I curl up on my bed and let myself fall apart. When I left and moved in with Noah, I was so sure that was it for me. I knew we’d face hardships, but never of this kind. I thought he and I could get through anything together, but we were doomed from the start.

I tense when my bedroom door opens, my mother’s perfume filling the room. She sits down on my bed and places her hand on my shoulder.

“You knew,” I tell her, my tone accusatory. “You knew, and you didn’t tell me. You let me fall for him, knowing what would happen.”

Mom sighs, her hand trembling ever so slightly. “I’d never seen you so happy before, Amara. You seemed so alive. You were thriving, and it was everything I ever could’ve wanted for you. I just hoped… I don’t know. I knew the truth would come out eventually, but I thought you two might just be strong enough to get through it together. The way he looked at you and the way you smiled at him, Amara… I wanted to believe that you two would overcome this. I was wrong, and I’m sorry.”

I laugh, the sound hollow. “You thought we’d overcome my father murdering his? Mom, don’t be ridiculous. You saw what was happening, and you ignored it because you wanted me to learn my lesson. You win. You always tell me to face reality, to count my blessings. You win, Mom. I’ll fall in line. I’ll be just like you: broken, an empty shell, a remnant of what I once used to be. Just. Like. You.”

Mom doesn’t respond. She doesn’t argue with me the way I expected her to, the way she always does. No. None of that. She just strokes my hair gently, refusing to give me an outlet for my pain.

Truthfully, I can’t blame her. I’m not so blinded by my pain that I can’t see that both my mother and grandfather tried to protect me. I just wish they’d trusted me to protect myself. I wish they hadn’t kept me in the dark. If they’d trusted me enough to tell me what I needed to know, Noah never would’ve gotten hurt, and his career would still be on the right track.

But then again, I’ve never given them a reason to trust me, with my willfulness and naivety. That changes now. I’ll never again be the reason someone I love gets hurt.