Their father stood behind him, a weak smile on his face. Sadness instead of joy was reflected in his eyes and he appeared so very tired and pale. “Ah, there’s my beautiful girl,” he said, going through the motions.
“Are… Are you okay, Mr. Christou?” Melanie asked.
Papa’s eyes flicked from Melanie to Syd, and back again. The guilt was all over her face. “Of course I am,” he answered tightly. “My daughter is getting married.”
A tear rolled down Mel’s cheek and she reached out to hug the frail man. “I’m so sorry, Mr. Christou. Please, if there is anything I can do to help—any way that I can—I will in a heartbeat.” She turned to Syd. “Same goes for you, Sydney. Brett or no Brett, you’ve always been like a sister to me. If you change your mind, know that I’ll have your back, one hundred percent.”
She turned and left the bridal suite, lightly touching Theo’s shoulder as she left.
Her father closed the door.
Now I’m in for it.
“You told her?”
“Papa, I—”
“I can’t believe you told her! Brett’s sister! So close to silencing him, and you tell her!” he yelled.
Theo put a hand on his father’s shoulder. “Papa, please try to relax.”
“No!” he roared. “I cannot! You are my children, my family. Telling Melanie… If Brett were to find out, if he were to tell anyone what he knew, you will be in danger.” Raw fear was apparent in his eyes. “I cannot protect you,” he whispered. “I’m too old, too weak. But after today, after the wedding, the threats from him will stop.”
Her brother shook his head in disagreement. “No, they won’t.”
“Theo? What do you mean by this?”
Syd grimaced. “Damn it, Theo is right, Papa. Brett will hold this over us forever, and use it to maintain control.”
“No, he will stop. He promised this would be the end of it,” their father said, the tremor in his voice not fooling anyone—he didn’t believe his own words. “He… He has to.” Beads of sweat broke out across his brow and his face suddenly got impossibly paler. He lost his balance and reached out to the wall for support.
“Papa!” they cried out at the same time, both jumping to their father to offer support.
“I’m okay,” he breathed. “Only a little tired.” He glanced at his daughter and read the worry in her eyes. “I’m okay. I’m okay,” he repeated and gently patted her hand to try to reassure her.
It didn’t. Instead it only made her take notice of how much weight her father had lost in recent months. His health was failing and it was her job to be strong for him. She stepped away from him and straightened her back, holding her head high. “Papa, everything will be fine, I promise.” She leaned in to give him a light kiss. “All you have to do is stay strong for me, okay?”
He nodded slowly, the sadness in his eyes palpable as he gazed at her.
“Now, shoo, both of you. I have to finish up, and don’t have much time before I go out there.”
Her father opened the door and shuffled out into the hallway. Theo reached out and hugged his sister tightly, then rested his forehead against hers. His eyes filled with remorse as he whispered a coarse, “Fuck,” before turning and following his father, shutting the door behind him.
Alone in the room, Sydney studied her reflection in the mirror. She smoothed out her dress and took a deep breath.
“Let’s do this.”
Chapter Forty-Two
Picturing waterfalls, placid lakes and waves rolling onto sandy shores, Syd breathed deeply and steadily, trying to calm herself. The knock on the door that signaled it was time to take her vows would come any minute. Theo had come back to her room with Cara, the two offering to stay with her till the clock ticked to zero. She’d gently refused their offer, opting to spend these last moments alone, trying to settle her battered nerves.
She jolted when the bridal suite door opened unannounced and Brett waltzed in.
“What are you doing in here?” she demanded.
“I wanted to make sure my bride was ready to go. I don’t want a single delay.”
She shook her head in disgust and turned away from him.
“You could at least try to look happy,” he said, his voice bitter.
She whipped around on the stool to face him again. “Do you even hear yourself, Brett?” He shrugged a response. “How can you possibly expect me to be happy?”
His narrowed eyes shot daggers at her. “You have no choice but to be happy. Don’t forget you’ll be my wife in less than an hour, Nikoleta. You better get used to that idea—and quick.”
She took a shuddery breath and gazed up at him with tear-filled eyes. “I remember when we first met,” she whispered. “I was immediately smitten with you. You were fun and spontaneous, and you cared about everything and everyone. And you were funny—God, you made me laugh. You were so sought after by all the campus girls, and the fact you chose to date me always blew my mind.”
His blue eyes pierced her.
“Those first few months,” she went on, “you were kind and gentle. You took the relationship one step at a time and had an absolutely easy-going attitude about it. You loved me, and I loved you, and that was enough. We wanted to discover where it led us.”
“Nikoleta, where are you going with all this?” he asked, his impatience evident.
“Brett, what happened to you all those years ago? What changed you?”
“Nothing,” he answered quickly, averting his gaze.
“No,” she shook her head. “I don’t believe it. You practically changed overnight.”
“Leave it alone, Nikki,” he warned.
“Why?” she shot back. “I’m marrying you, aren’t I? I’m giving you what you want, Brett. You won. I have nothing to lose by asking you the simple question—what happened to you?”
“I don’t need to hear this,” he growled, and turned to leave the room.
Her voice soft, Syd asked, “What happened to the Brett I fell in love with?”
He froze, his back to her. “I’m right here.”
“No, you’re not. The Brett standing in front of me is cruel, manipulative and abusive. He’s focused only on getting what he wants, without concern for how his actions may affect anyone else around him.” She got up and walked toward him, her words growing more urgent, in a desperate, last-ditch attempt to reach the man he used to be. “He’s not the same guy that who went out of his way to teach me how to ice skate. He’s not the same guy who happily stepped outside his box and tried to cook dinner for me—and who laughed uproariously at the disastrous results. You’re not the same guy who cared for me when I was sick.”
He turned to face her. “Why are you saying all this, Nikki?”
She placed a gentle hand on his shoulder and rotated him to face himself in the full-length mirror. “Where did you go? Why are you hiding?”
“Stop it,” he whispered.
“You keep saying you want me to love you again.” She frowned. “I can’t do that. I’m sorry, but I can’t now and I never will. You used to want me to be happy but…look at what you’re doing, Brett. I’m not happy! You’re so bound and determined to control me, but the one thing you will never control is my heart.”
“I don’t want your heart like that,” he sighed. “I want you to give it to me freely.”
Syd couldn’t contain the laugh that bubbled up and escaped her. “Seriously, Brett? You’re threatening to extradite my father and have some seriously bad people on his back—for something he didn’t even do over twenty years ago—and you want me to fall in love with you again? You worked your ass off to dig up this filth and then, smug as a bug, you instantly used that knowledge against my entire family just to get me to marry you so you can sink your controlling claws into my life again—and you expect me to offer you my heart?”
“I’m doing this for us,” he snapped, stepping away from her.
She threw her hands in the air, frustrated. “You did it fo
r you, Brett. You and only you. If you really wanted me back, you would never have needed to force it, or me. You’d have actually tried to change and rediscover the man you used to be.” She shook her head. “What you want from me, you’ll never have. I may be your wife according to the law, but you will never have my love.”
“You’ll learn to love me again,” he roared. “I’ll make you!”
There was a short knock at the door, and it opened, Melanie standing at the threshold with widened eyes. “I was going to let you know it was almost time,” she started. “But then I heard yelling…”
“Everything’s okay, Mel,” Syd said.
She stepped in and closed the door behind her. “It most certainly is not! Brett—how could you do this?”
Oh shit.
“You know?” he asked rhetorically, his eyes flashed an accusatory glance at Sydney.
“Yes I know, and I’m disgusted, Brett. This is a new low, even for you.”
“Go back and play in your bubble of naiveté and happiness, little one, and leave the big conversations to the adults,” he said.
“Melanie, please don’t,” Syd begged. “You’re only going to make things worse.”
“How can you say that? He’s minutes away from ruining both your lives, and you want me to be quiet?”
“Both?” he snorted incredulously. “I’m getting what I want, there are no issues on my end.”
“Do you honestly believe you’ll be happy in a loveless marriage, Brett?” his sister asked. “How will your wife feel when her father dies from all the stress this situation has put him under?”
“Oh God,” Syd moaned, weakened by the thought of losing her father.
“You have no idea what you’re talking about. He’s perfectly fine.”
“I’m telling Dad what you’ve done,” she threatened.
He guffawed. “Oh, please do, although I don’t think he’d find fault in this. After all, digging up leverage like I did—it was all his idea.”
Melanie looked as if she’d been slapped in the face. “I… I’ll tell Mom, then,” she stammered.
“You do that,” he sneered. “And when she mentions it to Dad, he’ll tell her to get back into her little hamster ball of happiness as well. And she’ll climb in and sit pretty, smiling like a good wife.”
What the hell is going on here?
Syd sat quietly, glancing from Brett to Melanie and back again, letting whatever this was play out.
“Why… How can you say that?”
He rolled his eyes. “Oh, sweet Melanie, how could you be blind as to what’s been in front of you for decades?”
“What do you mean?” she asked, her voice thick with confusion.
“Do you think Mom is really that happy all the time?” He laughed bitterly. “She knows better than to be any other way. Just like you’ll learn, Nikoleta.”
“You don’t mean that!” Melanie gasped.
“This is something Dad taught me long ago. It’s the only way I know how to be anymore.” Syd wasn’t sure, but she thought there was a hint of sadness in his voice. “Like father, like son.” He turned on his heel and walked out.
“Mel, what the fuck was that all about?” Syd asked, uneasy.
“It can’t be true,” she whispered. She turned to Syd, her eyes wide. “There… There was a time when I was younger,” she began. “You and Brett were dating, and I remember Mom crying all the time. She was at the front door with a suitcase and Dad was screaming at her. I don’t remember what they were saying—I was scared, and hiding on the stairs watching them.” She paced as she spoke. “Brett pulled me away and brought me to my room right when Dad grabbed Mom’s wrist and dragged her into the living room. I’m not sure… I think… I thought I heard Dad hit her,” she said, tears flowing down her cheeks.
Overcome by the girl’s obvious pain, Syd stood up and took her hands. “Oh, Mel.”
“Brett told me if Mom was leaving we were leaving, too, and that I shouldn’t worry—he’d find a way to take care of us all, even if it meant dropping out of school for a while. God, I was what, eleven or twelve at the time? I didn’t understand what the hell was happening.” She met Syd’s eyes. Her face was ashen, the memories hitting her hard. “Brett told me to stay put, and he went downstairs and started yelling at Dad. I don’t know…it sounded like a fight broke out downstairs. They were yelling at each other, and Dad was screaming ‘you’re my wife, you do what I say when I say’—or something to that effect.”
Syd’s heart broke for her.
“I know for sure, it was loud and clear, that Dad told Brett he was a pussy with you. He said he acted like a submissive little boy and he needed to get you under control and he would teach him how to do it. I can’t remember how long the yelling and fighting continued on for, but it suddenly went dead quiet. I remember opening the door and trying to listen, but all I heard were hushed voices and Mom crying non-stop.” She squeezed Syd’s hands. “Then Brett came back upstairs, and he looked so battered. Broken, now that I think back on it—he was broken in so many ways, physically, mentally, emotionally. One eye was nearly swollen shut, his nose was cut, his knuckles bleeding. When he said he’d fallen down the stairs I was eager to believe the obvious lie. I didn’t want to believe our own father had done that to him.”
“My God,” Sydney breathed.
“I asked if Mom was still leaving and he said no, that she was Father’s property. Said she wasn’t going anywhere and neither were we. Since then he hasn’t been the same, Syd. That night Dad said or did something to him and that’s why he changed and has become the way he has.”
“That was when he changed,” Syd murmured. “I didn’t see him for a couple weeks at one point. He’d said he went on a family trip, but when he came back, he was totally different—short on patience, got pissed off if I dared have an opinion of my own. That’s when he became controlling and verbally abusive… That’s when it all started!”
“You’re lucky you’ve only been dealing with the verbal abuse,” Mel whispered. “Mom wasn’t so lucky. There are still bruises here and there on her, even though she tries to hide them, and when I ask about it I get the old ‘oh I must have bumped into something’ excuse. I knew it was a lie, but I couldn’t bring myself to believe the alternative. Denial is bliss, and all.”
She shook her head as if to clear it and hugged Syd. “I’m sorry I was of no help today. I wish I knew what to say. I truly believe the real Brett is still in there somewhere. All these years, my father has never laid a hand on me or treated me poorly—and I have to believe my big brother is somehow protecting me. I always hoped I’d be able to reach him.”
Syd gently smoothed a lock of hair away from Melanie’s face. “You did plenty,” she said, leading her to the door. “As they say, knowledge is power, right? Now go, get yourself together. I’ll see you out there in a few minutes.
As soon as she was alone in the room again, she sat to steady her frayed nerves.
What a fuck of a day this has turned out to be.
But if anything, she got it now. She understood why Brett had changed and what had happened to him all those years ago. It didn’t make it right, but knowledge was power and it might help her get through this, and at least it explained his actions, more or less.
One part of the conversation in particular stuck in her head, though—when Brett had said this was all his father’s idea. That was why he had appeared so smug every time she’d seen him since the engagement. She could only imagine what was going through his sick mind.
She stared at herself in the mirror, reflecting.
First there was Caleb, the man she loved with all her heart. After seeing her at the opening in Toronto he was out of her life for good—how could he ever forgive her continuous white lies? There was no way he harbored even an ounce of love for her the moment he found out she was engaged. How he’d looked at her in those last few moments said it all. He hated her and she deserved no less. He was gone and she needed to adjus
t to that reality, and quick.
Then there was Brett. She despised him now, but she had loved him in her university years. Now that she understood his past better, did she have it in her to be more forgiving and empathetic and to try to like him again? Would her kindness bring the old Brett back? Or at the least, would it make their time together more bearable and perhaps give him cause to release his stranglehold on her?
Could she try?
Did she even want to?
“Sorry!” Lilly cried triumphantly, moving her final peg to the home space on the board. She jumped off the floor and turned her back to Caleb and her father, and did a little butt wiggle victory dance.
“You keep winning, Lilly-pot! That’s the third time now. I demand a rematch!”
Lilly jumped over to and plopped next to him. “How about we play a different game? At least that way the two of you will have some kind of a chance to beat me.”
PJ took another slice of greasy pizza out of the box and bit into it. “Okay, pumpkin, but this time let Uncle Caleb pick the game.”
She nodded and bounded off to grab the stack of games that sat on the kitchen table.
Caleb gave his brother a soft smile. “Thanks for this.”
He nodded. “I figured since today was…you know…the day, a bit of a distraction might be good for you.”
And what better way to keep his mind off the fact Syd was getting married today than to spend time with his brother and niece? She was a natural at keeping him entertained, and a full day of pizza-eating, board game-playing and movie-watching, was exactly what the doctor of broken hearts prescribed.
The last thing he wanted to do was picture Syd, looking as beautiful as ever, walking down the aisle to be wed to another man.
The doorbell ringing snapped him out of the darkness and he stood to answer it. Pat stood, too, and motioned for Caleb to stay put.
“I’ve got it, man. You help Lilly pick out a new game.”
He shrugged, and helped Lilly sort through the pile of boxes she’d brought into the room.
A moment later PJ was back, carrying a massive package. He had no idea what it was.
Little White Lie Page 25
