The dreaded union of our parents hurtled towards us with a vengeance, and soon we were standing across from each other at a small altar in a quiet church.

The wedding itself might have been small and relatively meager, but I couldn't overlook the fact that our parents just looked... happy together.

Privately, I was thoroughly disgusted that my grandparents were present. They were seated in the front pew, the very image of distinguished, posh irritation. It's said that the English people keep a stiff upper lip Raleigh and Riana Carlyle embodied that stereotype to the end. They were both dressed as if they had been kidnapped from some sort of regal, high-society event, and the quiet disdain on their faces shamelessly echoed that suggestion.

My father should have been able to treat his blushing bride to a lavish wedding, wherever in the world that she wanted. Unfortunately, his uppity, self-serving parents excelled at holding grudges, and so Father wasn't eligible to the Carlyle fortune.

It's not like it was even his f.u.c.king fault.

People make mistakes.

William, if anything, had proven himself worthy by pulling himself back from the brink of self-destruction. But it was clear that they would never, ever see it that way.

Thoughts for another time, I told myself as Dad walked down the aisle with Sarah on his arm. I plastered a forced grin across my face, glancing over at Clara.

Sarah looked beautiful in her rented bridal dress, but Clara was the real winner here. With a modest dress that accentuated her beautiful features and stunning shape, I could barely keep my eyes off of her.

The maid of honor wouldn't meet my gaze, but I caught her checking me out, too particularly in how my three-piece suit tightly hugged my broad, built frame.

"Dearly beloved, we gather here today to honor the unions of William Carlyle and Sarah Campbell..."

The minister, to his credit, performed the ceremony as if they were being wedded on a mega-yacht cruise liner beneath the beautiful, open stars. An older gentleman still clinging gracefully to his youthful prime, he remained jovial and concerted throughout the entire proceedings.

Dad and Sarah had elected to write each other vows, which they recited: "William, I never thought I'd love again until I met you. You've brought a light to my life that I thought extinguished by time, circ.u.mstance, and horrible life choices..." She glanced over at Clara, apologetically, but her daughter merely shrugged with a smile. "But I can't say I regret those choices, given the wonderful girl that they've brought into my life," she turned back to her groom, "I know now that whatever decisions I have to make... you'll be there by my side, guiding me with your love and your selflessness. I can't picture a better man to stand across from me now, and I promise you that I'll see you through every burden that comes your way until the day I breathe my last..."

William, who was more human than both of my grandparents combined, was moved slightly to tears by her words. He took a deep breath before giving his own vows: "This life I've led hasn't always taken me down the right paths. It's been hard, sometimes, keeping myself on the correct road, ensuring that I don't fall astray again... but ever since meeting you, I've known in my heart that you are my guiding light now. I never believed in love at first sight, not until I met you. It was some foolish concept that hormone-driven youngsters championed, some false dichotomy that wasn't really there... but you showed me something else. With your love and your adoration, I grew to trust you, to trust this, and I just want you to understand how much I love you. I can't fathom a life without you now. Until my dying gasp, I will provide for you, take care of you, and dedicate myself to relieving your stresses..."

The two gave beautiful sentiments in their small speeches. All the while, I couldn't keep my eyes off of Clara, who returned my gaze with an unwavering, silent stare.

Whatever emotion that was running through her head, I couldn't tell what it was; however, it spoke volumes to me that she couldn't break our fierce, mutual gaze.

I presented the rings, and they placed them on each other's fingers. In their haste, I realized, they hadn't even bothered with engagement rings to begin with.

They made their final promises.

And with a kiss, our parents were wed.

The marriage doc.u.ment was signed, and the two of us were the dedicated witnesses. Raleigh and Riana merely sat to the side, watching the proceedings without the hint of shedding a tear. To her credit, my grandmother looked fairly pleased at least, although her husband had the approximate emotional reaction of a brick.

There wasn't any budget for a wedding reception, apparently, but that didn't stop them from redirecting things back to their house, citing "caterers" on the way.

Clara and I rode in the backseat of their car, as we had on the way there. We sat at opposite sides, staring out our own prospective windows.

There was so much to say.

I didn't like the gulf that had developed between us since that night. She was all I could think about now, but we'd barely spoken since checking out that following morning.

It was plain as day to see what she was doing.

Clara was having second thoughts.

If it wasn't a mountain of doubts over the things we had done together with the world outside none the wiser, it was over our relationship to each other now.

Of course, we were now officially stepbrother and stepsister... something that threw a distinct wrench into my hopes to pursue things with her.

I couldn't get a read on Clara. Although she was only a few feet away, she felt like she was miles, maybe even worlds apart from me.

It's not like we could talk, with our parents upfront and jovially celebrating as they drove us back towards their home. For the moment, they'd decided to settle into Sarah's house, since William's apartment in the city wasn't exactly the more attractive option.

"You two look like somebody died!" Sarah chuckled after apparently watching us in the rearview mirror. "This is a happy time! I want to see some smiles on those faces!"

"Oh, leave them alone," William graciously smiled. "I can only imagine that they're just a little drained. We did spring this on them at the last second, after all. Let's let them have their s.p.a.ce."

I was never more grateful to my father than in that moment.

Sarah glanced over at him, confused, but let the sentiment drop. "Oh well. There's plenty of good food that'll be available shortly after we arrive. Personally, I'm starving!"

I let the two of them fade away from my attention as I reached into my pocket, withdrawing my smartphone. I wasn't sure if Clara had hers nearby, given the dress she was wearing, but I went ahead and texted her anyway: > Maybe we should talk.

A few seconds later, I heard the faint sound of her text tone, and she withdrew her phone from her purse. I was afraid she was going to ignore me, but she responded before switching on the vibration setting.

> Talk about what?

I frowned grimly. This wasn't good.

> About this. About us. You're being distant. I don't like it.

Clara stared at her phone for a few moments, shaking her head. She still wasn't looking at me. Finally, she started typing.

> There's nothing to talk about. We had our night together. That's over now. That was it. I had a great time with you, but that's in the past now. It's time that both you and I move on.

I was quietly furious, but I knew that she was convinced of her point. There had to be some way to get through to her, to keep this fire of ours burning bright...

> I know you feel that way, but I don't. You can't deny that there's something great between us. This attraction... you don't want to give it up. Neither do I. Let's just see where it goes, okay? I don't want to lose you.

Clara looked up from her phone, and I got my wish. She finally looked at me... but her look was filled with a mixture of disappointment, anger, and bitterness. After a second, she typed in a final response and tossed her phone back into her purse.

> That's enough.

My spirits collapsed for the second time since I caught wind of the wedding date.

She's closing me off, I bitterly thought.

It was arguably lucky that I didn't have to spend too much time in the backseat with her after that point. The roads became familiar again, and within a minute we were pulling up to Sarah's driveway.

The last time that I was here, I came face to face with destiny. Clara, that seemingly harmless little infatuation of mine, came face-to-face with me as we met each other's parent. At that moment, this was all some sick, cosmic joke, but it was a joke I wanted to see through to the end.

Now that I was here, I realized that I didn't find the punchline particularly funny.

As soon as we were parked and the ignition was dead, Clara jumped out of the car. Following her lead, my father stepped out, crossing around to Sarah's side and helping her out.

"Such a gentleman!" She cooed.

I excused myself out the back, s.n.a.t.c.hing up Clara's purse. In her haste, she'd apparently forgotten it. As our parents strolled towards the door, I caught up to her, stuffing it into her hands.

"You forgot this," I remarked.

"I left it in there on purpose," Clara replied.

"What, so that I'd grab it and bring it to you? A little cliche, don't you think?" I smiled warmly, happy to make a little banter.

Clara leaned in and, whispering under her breath, she maintained eye contact and verbally twisted the knife: "No, you idiot, I left it in there so that you couldn't bother me over text messages for the rest of today."

Dad and Sarah were at our side within a moment, unlocking the front door and preventing me from responding. Clara whisked a few strands of hair out of her face and firmly put her back to me as she followed them inside, leaving me outside alone.

I thought that was as bad as it could get.

A car I didn't recognize pulled up behind us, and I glanced over my shoulder. To my immediate vexation, my grandparents climbed out of the backseat, glancing at the house with veiled amus.e.m.e.nt.

Oh, not this s.h.i.t now.

"Dalton, we didn't get much of a chance to speak," Raleigh Carlyle greeted me as he approached, his wife on his arm. "I daresay you look the very image of dignity."

Suppressing the disgust in my throat, I curled my lips up into the most sincere smile that I could muster. Ancient, indignant windbag that he was, Raleigh was still family... and he still held the Carlyle Fortune in his gnarled grasp.

"Pleasure to see you again, grandfather," I cordially addressed him. "And you as well, Nana. How were your travels overseas?"

"Dreadful," he answered haughtily.

"I'm quite sorry to hear that."

"Yes, well... certain things can't be helped, I suppose," he sniffed, surveying the neighborhood under his discerning eye.

"How about you, Nana?" I asked my stiff but otherwise polite grandmother. "Did you find the journey agreeable?"

"Given how low I set my standards for commercial flights, it was reasonably acceptable," she replied crisply. "Thank you for asking."

"Of course. Shall we go inside?"

"Not just quite yet," Raleigh answered, lifting his chin. "This is the first time we have seen you in a number of years... I'd like to hear where you are in life, and what your plans are for the future. Of course, the moment we walk through that door, we'll be subjected to the carnival that is that swift, thoughtless marriage..."

Raleigh... your failing health is why they escalated the timeframe, you bitter, old sod.

Instead, I bit my tongue on the matter.

"As you're aware, I've concluded eight years in military service," I reminded them. "Of which I was released just a few months ago. I'm twenty-six years old now, leaving me four years until my thirtieth birthday. I've enrolled in higher education, and the date will coincide with the completion of my graduate degree."

"Very good," he nodded. "Very good indeed."

I chose my words carefully. "Grandfather, Dad has revealed to me that there are certain... stipulations to inheriting the Carlyle Fortune. Stipulations that I wasn't aware were there. Could you elaborate on this concern for me?"

The two of them stiffened visibly.

"What has William said to you?"

"Nothing concrete. He merely hinted that there were rules in place to continue the longevity of the inheritance... to keep somebody foolish from wasting it all away."

Raleigh's face set into stone.

"It was not his place to say anything of the sort. Dalton, I command you to forget all of whatever foolish notions that man put into your head. Continue focusing on your education for now the rest will be explained in time."

"So there are strings attached," I replied.

It was too late to retract my sentence, given how dark their faces grew.

"I gave you an order. Don't defy it."

"Of course, Grandfather," I answered impartially. "Forgive me. It's just that the events of today have... surprised and distracted me."

They looked sympathetic for a moment.

Coming from them, that was never good.

"I can sympathize with that," the thin old man replied. "Trust me, it came as a great surprise to your grandmother and I, too... a particularly unpleasant one, I'll add."

She looked at him briefly, the stonewall crumbling for just a moment, but within the instant she was just as impartial and statuesque as him.

It occurred to me that my grandfather was too proud to tell anybody that he was dying... which left her to break the news. Otherwise, my father would have never known, particularly given the estrangement between them.

I gazed upon my grandmother. Interesting.

"I'm sure that they're all wondering where we are," I replied calmly. "Shall we go inside? It's not going to be to your usual tastes, but I've heard that they hired some caterers for the afternoon."

My grandparents chuckled.

"Very well then," Raleigh answered. "Let's get this pernicious s.h.i.t-show over with."

And just like that, I followed them inside, walking straight towards a night that was going to change absolutely everything.

50.