Chapter 19 Beautiful prison
The drive to the mansion felt both too long and too short. Jennifer tried to make small conversations asking about her interests, explaining the house rules, and going over the schedule for the next week. Ariella nodded and made appropriate sounds but couldn’t focus on any of it.
From her neighborhood with its small shops and lived-in buildings, through downtown with its mix of old and new, into the West Hills where the houses got bigger and the gates got taller and everything screamed money.
“The household staff knows about the arrangement,” Jennifer was saying. “They’ve been briefed on discretion. Everyone has signed NDAs. You won’t need to explain anything to them.”
“They know it’s fake,” Ariella said.
“They know it’s complex,” Jennifer corrected gently. “But their job is to support you, not judge you. And they’re very good at their jobs.”
The SUV turned onto the now-familiar winding road. The gates of the Frost estate loomed ahead.
“Mr. Frost, Aiden wanted to greet you personally,” Jennifer continued. “But he’s with his father right now. Some family matter.
“It’s fine.”
“Your rooms are in the East Wing, as discussed. Adjoining suites with Aiden’s. You’ll have complete privacy, but you’ll also have access to each other when needed for appearances.”
“Appearances,” Ariella repeated numbly.
“The staff has been instructed to treat you as a couple. Even when you think no one is watching, assume someone is.” Jennifer’s voice was kind but firm. “I know it sounds paranoid, but in houses like this, walls have ears. It’s better to be careful.”
The gates opened. They drove up the endless driveway, past the manicured gardens, toward the glass palace that was about to become her prison.
The SUV stopped at the front entrance. Before Ariella could move, the door opened and someone was standing there.
Not Aiden. A girl.
Lily.
She wore paint-stained jeans and an oversized hoodie, her dark hair in a messy bun. She looked nervous and determined.
“Hi,” she said. “I’m your unofficial welcoming committee. Jennifer is great but she’s also terrifying in a professional way. I’m just terrifying in a weird-little-sister way.”
Ariella smiled. “Hi, Lily.”
“I’m supposed to tell you that Aiden is sorry he’s not here, and that my dad is having a bad day so everyone’s stressed, and that your rooms are ready and I helped pick out some stuff because I didn’t want it to be all boring and adult.” She said all this in one breath. “Also, I made cookies. They’re probably burned but I tried.”
“You made cookies?”
“It seemed like a thing to do. Welcome wagon or whatever.” Lily shifted her weight. “This is super weird, right? You being here? Living with us? I’m not imagining how weird this is?”
“It’s catastrophically weird.”
“Okay good. I thought I was going crazy.” Lily offered her hand. “Come on. I’ll give you the real tour. Not the Jennifer tour where everything is about schedules and protocols. The actual tour where I show you which bathrooms have good water pressure and which staircases are best for avoiding my dad when he’s in a mood.”
Ariella took her hand.
Jennifer cleared her throat. “Miss Frost, I do have a schedule…”
“Jennifer, you’re amazing but I’m also kidnapping Ariella for an hour. We’ll stick to the schedule after that. Promise.” Lily was already pulling Ariella toward the entrance. “Come on. Before she makes us look at floor plans.”
They left Jennifer standing by the SUV, looking amused and exasperated in equal measure.
Lily’s tour was nothing like what Ariella expected.
Instead of showing her the formal rooms and important spaces, Lily took her to the weird corners of the mansion the third-floor library that no one used because it was too cold, the second-floor bathroom with the window that looked out over the city, and the kitchen pantry where you could hide when the house felt too big.
“This is where I go when I can’t deal,” Lily said, showing her a small alcove on the first floor, hidden behind a door that looked like a closet. Inside was a window seat with cushions, a reading lamp, and a collection of worn paperbacks. “I don’t think anyone else knows about it. Not even Aiden. So now it’s ours.”
“Why are you showing me this?”
Lily sat on the window seat, pulling her knees up. “Because you look like you need hiding places. And because I remember what it’s like to feel like you don’t belong here.” She paused. “I mean, I do belong here technically. But after Mom died, this place felt like a museum. Like I was living in someone else’s house.”
“How old were you?”
“Eight. Aiden was twelve. Old enough to remember her really well. Young enough that it destroyed him.” Lily picked at a thread on her jeans. “He doesn’t talk about her much. But sometimes I hear him at night, crying in his room. He thinks no one knows. But I know.”
Ariella sat beside her. “I’m sorry. About your mom.”
“I’m sorry about your brother.” Lily looked at her. “Aiden told me. About the car accident. About how it wasn’t your fault but you think it is.” She paused. “He said you understand each other. The guilt thing. The not-believing-you-deserve-to-be-alive thing.”
“He told you that?”
“He tells me everything. I’m the only person he actually talks to.” Lily’s voice was matter-of-fact. “That’s why I wanted to meet you. To make sure you’re not going to hurt him.”
“I don’t want to hurt anyone.”
“But you’re going to anyway. Because he’s going to catch feelings even though this is supposed to be fake, and then when it’s over you’ll leave and he’ll be destroyed again.” Lily’s eyes were fierce. “So I need to know, are you going to try to be kind? Or are you just here for the money?”
The question should have felt insulting. Instead, it felt fair.
“I’m here for the money,” Ariella said honestly. “I’m here because my family was about to lose everything and your father made an offer I couldn’t refuse. But I’m also here because…” She stopped. Searched for the right words. “Because your brother seems like a good person in a bad situation. And I don’t want to make it worse. So yeah, I’m going to try to be kind. Even when it’s hard. Even when I want to run away.”
Lily studied her for a long moment. Then nodded. “Okay. That’s good enough.”
“Just like that?”
“Just like that. I’m a good judge of character. And you seem sad in the same way Aiden is sad. Like you’ve been drowning for so long you forgot what breathing feels like.” She stood up. “Come on. Let me show you your room before Jennifer sends out a search party.”
They went up to the second floor, down the hallway Ariella vaguely remembered from her first visit. At the end was a set of doors two of them, side by side.
“That one’s Aiden’s suite,” Lily said, pointing to the left door. “This one’s yours.” She opened the right door with a dramatic flourish. “Welcome home. Or whatever.”
Ariella stepped inside and stopped breathing.