Chapter 28
Chapter
Twenty-Eight
ADAM
I sabelle and I spend the next few days soaking in each other’s company, refusing to check our phones or acknowledge the outside world. We eat breakfast together, go out in the snow and build snowmen with Theo or have snowball fights, warm up by the fire in the study, and watch movies. Lots of movies. We argue over the best parts of the Sound of Music. She says it’s the dance scene, I say it’s when the captain joins his family on stage to sing “Edelweiss.” We agree to disagree.
Oh, and there’s lots of kissing.
The snow is melting, and with it, we know the clock is ticking down with the remaining time we have left in our bubble. The snow on the road is still thick enough that Isabelle can’t make it down in her little car, but it’s only another couple of days before that excuse disappears.
We’re sitting in the theater, Isabelle in my arms, as we watch The Phantom of the Opera . She agreed to take a slight break from her classic musicals for the sake of one of my favorites.
“I know the phantom is a major red flag, but…” Isabelle’s voice trails off .
I turn to look at her. “Feel free to finish that sentence.”
She smiles up at me. “He’s hot.” She presses a quick kiss to my lips. “And he reminds me of you.”
“Is that so?” I ask with a smirk. I won’t admit this to her, but I’ve always felt a kinship with the phantom. Not that I’d groom and kidnap the girl I’m obsessed with, but the loneliness and darkness feel familiar. “You’re not into Raoul?”
She wrinkles her nose, an adorable gesture. “He’s so…meh.”
I chuckle. I’m about to ask her more of her thoughts, but Lionel knocks on the door.
“Yes, Lionel?” I say.
“I know you’re avoiding your calls, but your sister is requesting to speak with you.”
I stand immediately, rushing over to the door to take my phone from him. Lily’s face is on the screen. “Lily? Are you all right?”
“I’m fine!” she replies. “I’ve been texting you and getting no response. I want to know all about this girl you’re holding hostage in the castle.”
Isabelle laughs out loud.
“Is that her?” Lily shrieks. “I want to meet her!”
I walk with the phone over to the couch and hold it so Lily can see us both.
“Hi, Lily!” Isabelle says. “I’ve heard so much about you.”
“And I know NOTHING about you!” Lily replies. “Since I don’t have any Internet access.” She narrows her eyes at me. “Because someone thinks I can’t handle it.”
I narrow my eyes right back at her. “It’s not just my decision. How did you even find out about Isabelle, then?”
“Agatha called and told me about this girl at the castle. And then Luna showed me the interview when she came to visit with Henry. We’re both dying to know what’s going on. We’re shipping you guys. ”
“Shipping?” I ask.
“They want us to be in a relationSHIP,” Isabelle explains.
“Ah. That’s…ridiculous,” I reply.
“Don’t get hung up on the terminology,” Lily says. “Are you guys…you know…romantically entwined?”
“Blech, that’s even worse,” I say.
“But yes,” Isabelle says.
I turn to look at her, my brows raised. “So we’re publicizing this now?”
She shrugs and presses a kiss to my cheek. “It’s just your sister.”
“Awwwwww!” Lily claps her hands in delight. “I never thought I’d see the day my biggest grumpy brother would fall in love!”
I freeze. “I—uh—I wouldn’t say?—”
“Oh, hush,” Lily says. “You two are in love and there’s nothing you can say to convince me otherwise.”
I turn to check on Isabelle. Is she as alarmed by this “love” claim as I am? No, she just looks amused.
I watch her address my sister. “Lily, Adam told me that you play the piano.”
Lily gives a sad smile and shrugs. “I’m working on a few pieces.”
“I’d love to hear you play. Would you play something for me?”
“Really?” Lily perks up. “I haven’t gotten to perform for anyone new since Luna first came to visit.”
“Really,” Isabelle says. “I’d love to hear.”
Lily props the phone up against the table and we see her hop over to the piano. I click the mute button so Lily doesn’t hear our conversation. “Thank you for doing this.”
“Of course,” she says. “I feel for her. But…she doesn’t seem as broken as you make he r seem.”
The first few notes of the piano come wafting through the speakers of my phone. I watch my little sister, her long blonde hair flowing down her back as she furiously hits the keys on the piano. “She does seem much better,” I admit.
“Maybe you should ease up on her,” she says gently.
The first feeling that flares up is irritation, my natural inclination when anyone says something that contradicts my instincts. And when it comes to Lily, my instinct is to protect her. To keep her away from anyone and everything that could ever hurt her.
But holding Isabelle in my arms calms me, and I take a moment to consider what she says. Maybe Lily isn’t as broken as I thought she was. Maybe it’s time to start letting her out of the penthouse.
“I’ll talk to my father and brother,” I reply.
Satisfied, Isabelle settles back into my arms to listen to Lily’s performance. Lily has improved even more than I remembered. She probably spends all her time in isolation practicing and improving, which I didn’t think was possible at her skill level. She finishes her piece, and I unmute our end.
“Brava!” Isabelle calls out, applauding. I join in and clap, too.
Lily takes a bow and skips back over to the phone. “Thanks. It’s called La Campanella, and it’s supposed to imitate the sounds of a bell. It’s really fun to play.”
“I couldn’t believe how fast your fingers were flying,” Isabelle says. “I’ll have to come hear you in person.”
Lily squeals. “I’d love that! When will the snow clear completely?”
Isabelle looks over at me, and I sigh. “I think it will be melted enough for Isabelle to drive down tomorrow.”
Isabelle’s lips twist to the side, disappointment filling her expression. I know how she feels. I’m not ready for this to be over. We haven’t even discussed what’s going to happen when we go back to LA.
“You guys should have a party for your last night,” Lily says.
“A party?” I ask. “With whom? Lionel?”
“Sure, why not?” Lily says. “He deserves some fun.”
I snort a laugh.
“Just eat a fancy dinner… Wait, you probably do that anyway. But wear something extra fancy, dance a little, have some fun. You guys deserve it.”
Isabelle and I look at each other, as if trying to gauge whether or not the other person thinks it’s ridiculous or genius.
“Let’s do it,” Isabelle finally says. “I actually think Josephine might be done with my dress.”
“You’re having Josephine make you a dress?” Lily asks.
“I told her to,” I reply.
Lily nods her head in approval. “Smart move, big bro.”
I shrug a shoulder, uncomfortable with my little sister’s praise.
“Make sure to take pictures,” Lily says. “I want to see when you come visit me.”
“We will,” Isabelle promises.
“Maybe I’ll speak with Father about getting you back online.” Lily’s face lights with delight, so I add quickly, “Within reason.”
“Thank you, Adam!” Lily squeals.
The girls say goodbye, and I already feel like Isabelle fits right into my family. Which is further than I expected any of these feelings to go…but how can I deny the way I feel?
“So, party tonight?” Isabelle asks.
“Party tonight,” I confirm. I check the time on my phone—two in the afternoon. “I should probably let Lionel know so they can prepare the ballroom.”
Isabelle nods and presses a sweet kiss to my lips. “I’ll see you at dinner, then.”
I feel like a teenage boy again, excited to see the girl I’m interested in at a party that night. While I should be disappointed in myself for such feelings, I can’t help enjoying the way she’s worked her way into my heart. “See you then.”
Isabelle leaves to do a final dress fitting with Josephine, and I take the opportunity to call my father and Henry. It’s been a few months since I’ve spoken to them. I know I’ve disappointed them both greatly, and I don’t have much to say to make things better. But the three of us have agreed to form a task force of sorts to manage Lily, and hopefully the three of us together can keep her safe.
I don’t pay attention to the notifications on my phone that have piled up over the last three days, choosing instead to focus on the task at hand. I sit in my office chair, dial my father’s number, and look again at the picture of our family in the cracked glass. Guilt washes over me at being unable to protect Lily. She needed someone’s guidance. After my mother’s death, Father and Henry threw themselves into the business, although they tried their best to split their attention between Stone Technologies and raising Lily through her teenage years. But I completely ignored all of them, except the one fateful night I unwittingly created the circumstances for Lily and Tristan to meet.
It’s all my fault, and I’m doing everything in my power to rectify my errors.
“Adam.” My father’s voice comes through the speakerphone. There’s little emotion in his voice, but I didn’t expect a warm greeting .
“Hello, Father. I wanted to speak with you and Henry about Lily.”
“Thank you, Adam,” he says, sarcasm tinging his words. “I’m doing well. How are you?”
I heave a sigh. “How are you, Father?”
“Genuinely, I’m well. And I am glad you’re taking an interest in your sister. I’ll dial Henry.” I hear some beeps on his end, then ringing.
“Hello, Father. Adam.” Henry’s voice sounds just as impassive as Father’s.
“Hello, Henry,” I say, attempting a cordial greeting this time. “How are you?”
Silence.
“Are you there?” I ask.
“Yes,” Henry says. “I’m recovering from your interest in someone other than yourself.”
“Ha ha.” If only they could see the scowl on my face. “I wanted to speak with you and Father about Lily. She called earlier and wanted to discuss her Internet restrictions. Have you spoken with her lately?”
“Luna and I visited last weekend,” Henry says. “She seems like she’s doing much better. And Luna calls her almost daily. She says she’s nearly back to herself.”
“I have to agree,” Father says. “She’s showing her personality again. She practices the piano all day, but she doesn’t withdraw nearly as much as she did before. I feel very confident in her progress.”
“That’s how it seemed to me, as well,” I say. “So, she’s returned to herself, but can we trust her to not make the same mistakes again?”
“That’s the question,” Father says. “I’m not so sure. She’s still so naive and optimistic.”
“True,” Henry says. “But how will she learn unless she gets some experience?”
“ Experience is what led us to the situation we’re in,” Father says sharply. “Sometimes experience is not the teacher we need.”
“But she deserves to live!” Henry exclaims, more passionate than usual. “What kind of life does she have in the penthouse?”
“She has everything she needs,” Father retorts. “Her protection is of the utmost importance.”
“I agree, Father,” I cut in. “But I’m not suggesting she has all her typical freedoms. She’s just asking about getting Internet access for now. I believe that would be a way to ease her back to normalcy.”
Father and Henry are quiet for a minute. Finally, I hear Father say, “Fine. But I need to be able to monitor who she contacts.”
“Of course,” I say. “Although I doubt she’d be interested in having any contact with…you know.”
Father grunts in agreement.
“We do need to discuss her future,” Henry says. “She hasn’t had a chance to finish her degree. Maybe with Internet access she can at least take some online college classes.”
“That’s a good point,” Father says.
“But she also needs to look forward to leaving the penthouse,” Henry continues. “I’ve spoken to Aunt Agatha and she says she’d be happy to take her in. I believe letting her return to normalcy in Brookhaven would be safer than Silver Lake City.”
“Now, Henry–” Father begins.
“He’s right,” I cut in. “I know you want to protect her, but we have to think about her future. Brookhaven is a small town, it would be perfect for her to begin experiencing normal life again. If we keep her locked up forever, it’ll have the opposite effect of our desired goal. Either she’ll find a way to rebel, or she’ll lose all semblance of reality.”
Father is quiet for a moment. “I’ll consider it. But for now, just Internet access. And she has to enroll in college classes.”
“Agreed,” I reply.
“Adam, I have to ask where this is coming from,” Henry says. “I thought you wanted to keep her locked down as much as possible.”
“I did.” My eyes stray to the picture again, my heart clenching with the memory of happier times when we were whole. “But I think it’s time to help her heal instead of shielding her from the world.” I pause before my next words. “I think it’s what Mother would have wanted.”
Silence hangs heavy.
“Perhaps you’re right,” Father finally says.
“And perhaps there’s someone who’s helping influence your decisions,” Henry says, the implication clear in his words.
“And perhaps you can mind your own business,” I say sharply.
Henry just laughs. “I look forward to meeting her. If your feelings are what I believe them to be, the snow must be nearly clear by now.”
“Yes. We’re supposed to come back home tomorrow.”
“Then we’ll arrange a meeting. I’m sure Luna would love to meet her, as well.”
“Thank you for calling, Adam,” Father says. “I hope we can have more communication in the future, and not just about Lily.”
I swallow hard, a lump in my throat. “I hope so, as well.”
With that, the three of us hang up the phone. A glint of light hits the photo in the frame, and again I think I can see out of my left eye. It’s faint, but light is now coming through. I sense the lightness in my chest, a result of Isabelle healing all the cracks in my soul, more than she will ever understand.