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I wanted to groan. Great, now I was a disappointment! “I’m fine, Dad,” I reassured him, hoping that look in his eyes would disappear. “I’m not hungry. I’m just under a lot of stress. And it is affecting my appetite.”

“To the point you’re not eating at all?” Dad said and walked away from the table and toward me. “How long have you been like this?”

I wanted to bolt. I wanted to bolt so bad. I went to leave but Tatz stepped in my way.

“Last three weeks I’ve noticed,” Tatz answered Dad’s question. “She also has some boyfriend she won’t mention.”

I narrowed my eyes at Tatz. “I don’t have a boyfriend.”

He arched his eyebrows and I knew I was going to regret something I’d told him. “Then who is the guy who is always leaving a mark on your neck? Who is the guy that has you turning every male down?”

Out of the corner of my eye I saw Brad get up. Oh my god, he better bloody not say anything!

I had to speak and fast in case Brad was about to do something incredibly stupid.

“He’s history. He has a girlfriend. He is in love with her. I was a fling. There, I said it. Okay? I had an affair with him and now it’s over. So there, there is your answer. I don’t have a guy. Not anymore.”

It was the truth. I realized that what Brad and I had had, well, it was nothing but a fling. A one night deal. Hell, it didn’t even class as a fling! It was stupid of us to even have that one night. It was all a mistake. Brad had a woman that loved him.

I turned and looked at Brad who was standing up like he was ready to defend our mistake.

I looked into his eyes. I think he needed to hear this more than anyone else. “He is a great guy. I fell in love with him too easily. But he has a woman. One that will always stand by him. One he will have children with. He has a whole life ahead of him with her.” I smiled dimly at Brad; it was taking all my strength to not cry. “He has moved on. And I will too.”

I had to let Brad go. I would always love him. But he couldn’t love me. Not when he had a woman like Andrea wanting to be his.

“What a fuckwit. Who would want someone else over you?!” Tatz snapped. “Seriously, what’s the dick’s name?”

“Yeah, Hannah, who was it?” Dad’s hand landed on my shoulder. He had an edge to his voice. He didn’t approve of me being a part of an affair. But he wasn’t judging me on that right now. He just wanted to know who it was so he could hurt them.

“A man who is better off without me. I can never give him what he wants.” I looked at Brad, giving him an accepting smile. “I’m just a young, stupid teenager. He can do better and has.” I took my eyes off Brad and looked at Dad. “He didn’t know what he was thinking. It was all my fault. I drew him in and nearly ruined his life. Trust me, Dad, you couldn’t make his life worse. I’ve already done the damage by nearly costing him his future wife.”

And that was the truth. I nearly cost Brad his future wife, Andrea. How could he even take that sort of risk on me? Was he that stupid that he would give up a woman like her for me? I wasn’t special. I wasn’t a model. And I could list a thousand reasons why he shouldn’t want me but there was one strong reason why I shouldn’t have encouraged him. And that was that I had cancer. What type of life was I offering him?

Say we did fall in love and on some rare miracle Dad let us be together. Say we were madly in love. I was still dying young. That wasn’t changing. I couldn’t offer him even a future any more than two years. He didn’t realize I couldn’t offer him more. But I should have factored that in last night. Instead of pulling him in, I should have pushed him away.

I shouldn’t have given into the need to touch him, love him, be with him—yeah, I should have fought it. I was so stupid for even having one night with him.

“Hannah, can I talk to you?” Brad was at my side.

That was the very last thing I wanted to do. I saw Dad’s eyes narrow on him. Oh my god, Brad, what are you thinking?! I had to come up with a reason over why he would want to talk to me because Dad wasn’t fucking stupid! He had eyes! And the way Brad was looking at me right now, with so much anger, passion and hurt—well, a fucking blind man could see there was more between us!

“Brad,” I turned to face him. Okay, lie, Hannah, and lie well. I put on a fake smile. “Thanks for yesterday. But I don’t need your concern anymore. Everyone knows now. It’s no secret. I fell in love with a taken man. I’m an idiot. Like you said, I’m rebelling.” I gave him a bitter smile.

I just prayed that Dad and the rest of my family believed what I’d just said. The look in Brad’s eyes didn’t go away—it got worse and I saw the edge to him. He looked determined to make a point to me.

God, why was he looking at me like that? He had Miss Perfect behind him! He had a model girlfriend claiming him! What the hell was he thinking giving me a look like I had just insulted him, rejected him, broke his heart, and then lit a fire in his stomach?

Everyone—EVERYONE—was watching us. He needed to pull his shit together.

“Can everyone stop staring at me?!” I snapped, sick of feeling every pair of eyes on me like I was a science experiment! “I fucked up! I said it! God, is it so hard to believe that even I am capable of making a fucking mistake?!”

My voice went up with my anger, as Mum, Dad, Tyson, Eve and even fucking Andrea were looking at me like I had grown another head! Brad, on the other hand, was now glaring at me. Well, at least he wasn’t insulted or heartbroken anymore. He seemed to have gotten over that.

“Dad, I have studying to do. Can I go now?” I pleaded with him.

“Not till you eat.” Dad crossed his arms. He was triple my size and his large dominance was making me feel even smaller. “More than a salad, too, Hannah.”

“I’ll just spew it up!”