Wreck Me - Page 211

“I…”

“Or be a mediocre artist.”

“Grandmother…”

“I have seen your work. They are beautiful, but so are the ones of many. Art is about passion, not an alternative plan. Embrace the role destiny entrusted to you rather than swimming in an overcrowded pond. You have never been the one to go under the radar.”

“I don’t know…”

“It’s your duty. It’s my last request. Bring the group together and be the ones I raised you to be. Sacrifices build empires, my dear. Be a queen. Queens are not chosen. Maybe that’s why they have to make the biggest sacrifices to lead. It’s nothing glamorous. Every second of the day, the Family comes first. You come second. But you have found a partner who is not afraid to be in your shadow because he shines on his own. He wants to be in your life at the cost of what he loves most. You chose right, and I give you my blessing.”

“What do you want me to say to that, Grandmother?” I back away until my back meets a golden statue. “I wanted your love. I wanted a family. Now you ask me to raise a family with the same values and duties. It’s still a cage.”

“Yes, but you’re strong, Abigail. I’m sorry I won’t be here to guide you, but you can’t walk away.”

“This is not fair.”

“Life, my dear, is not fair. Ours even less so.”

“Celine is your granddaughter…”

“I was the hardest on her, and that is my pain and my guilt to carry. My granddaughter has a heart of gold. You have one of steel.”

Speechless, my eyes sweep around the jewelry behind the wall of glass. A pair of rings catch my attention. White and gold mingle together, forming a band of intricate rope.

“Those would be fabulous wedding bands. You want to hear the story behind them?”

I nod, unable to take my eyes off the rings, and she continues, “Those were promise rings. A young king had to go to war, leaving his new bride back at the palace. If he lost, he would lose it all. If he won, he’d return to a kingdom. Every day, he would look at the ring and remind himself why he had to win.”

“Did he?”

“Of course, because he knew he had to win: to return home to his loved one.”

“But you said I can pick one piece.”

“These are meant to be a pair, connecting two people as one.”

She calls Thomas, who opens the window and puts the two promise rings in a jewelry box.

“Grandmother?”

“Yes, my dear?”

“I can’t promise you anything, but I will try. Kaden, Blake, Celine, Bailey, and even Mia and Hunter are my family. I know together we could do incredible things.” We just have to overcome the strain, and that is my biggest fear—things will never be the same in our group. There have been too many secrets, trusts broken, and individual attacks to think regrouping will be easy.

“Then my legacy will thrive because your effort means you won’t stop until you achieve it.”

Her validation fills me with resolve. All my life, I have wanted her love, and it warms that icy place in my heart where I have never received parental love. I guess she loves us in her way, but responsibility comes first—the life of a true ruler.

After I say goodbye, I drive back to campus.

Celine and Kaden are in the living room, cuddled together on the couch. She leans on his side while Kaden interlaces their fingers.

“What’s wrong?” Celine asks once she sees me and scoots up.

“I think Grandmother’s sick.”

“We’re not that lucky.”