The wooden railing was decorated beautifully with white satin ribbons. We had balloons, and they’d even washed and repainted the wood.
We fed swans off the pier. Most people thought of swans as freshwater animals, which was another reason our swans are so popular. It was one of the only places you can regularly see swans swimming in the ocean.
In the right light, it looked like magic.
So of course my sister and brother were on their phones, bored.
I had everything I’d ever wanted. My mom’s affection. My sister and brother not being total a-holes. The fucking tiara. Yet I looked around me, as if the sunny beach air would suddenly explain to me why I still felt so empty.
When I’m finished with you, will you be lost forever, Abigail?
The words Theo said to me the night of the Swan Swell slammed into me and I dropped an entire slice of bread into the ocean.
Commotion sounded by the pier’s entrance—paparazzi. They were vultures, scavenging anywhere we went. We had guards stationed to keep them out, and I noticed my mom had finally joined us, almost at its mouth.
“Maybe it’s the dog,” Gray said. “Back to give us more money to love you.” Gray lounged against the pier railing, looking casually unaffordable in a thousand-dollar white shirt, jeans, and limited edition sneakers.
“What?” I lifted my head. “Theo gave you money? When?”
“Take a wild fucking guess. Do you think we all volunteered to play happy family for your birthday?” He lifted his arm slightly off the railing, looking disgusted at something I couldn’t see. “I fucking wish there was money involved today.”
I looked at my sister. “Gemma?”
“I said I would go if Gray promised to let me see the look on your face when you found out.” At my face, she quickly added, “This was before you started being cool again!”
It didn’t bother me my family had lied about their intentions. It would have been weirder if overnight they’d suddenly become good, caring people who loved me. Being bribed made the most sense and was still, in a twisted Crowne way, some kind of affection.
What had my heart hammering was Theo’s inclusion in all this.
“Dear,” my mother’s trill voice called out.
“Someone tell me what the fuck is going on,” I said.
“You didn’t kick your dog hard enough, sis,” Gray said. “He’s following you around, biting all the bad guys at your heel… which maybe isn’t such a bad thing.”
Gray frowned at something over my shoulder.
It wasn’t the ocean in my ears; it was blood. Rushing, pounding blood.
I chewed my lip until I tasted blood. “Am I the only one who hasn’t seen Theo since my engagement party?”
Gemma raised her hand. “I haven’t. Gotta leave ’em wanting more.” Gemma smiled, batting her eyelashes at me. I rolled my eyes.
Theo had been behind the scenes, making sure I had a happy birthday. A wrinkle formed on my brow as I thought about the lie. None of it made sense.
My mother grabbed my elbow, spinning me away from my siblings. “Have you gone deaf?”
Beyond her, Ned stood beneath a white-and-gold balloon arch.
My gut dropped.
I’d had a week-long respite from Edward Harlington, and I almost believed he didn’t exist anymore. My mother left me to grab him, set him next to me, and lift my chin, elongating my neck.
“You disappeared before we could get a proper photo,” my mother said, referring to the engagement party when I’d stumbled down the steps brokenhearted.
She situated us next to each other like dolls.
“Is this why you let me wear the tiar