My hands were shaking as I hung up the phone after talking to Ryan. I was so livid right now at what my mother had done, I couldn't think clearly, hell I couldn't even breathe.

I was already upset with Jackson when I kicked him out. Then I received a phone call from the school where I teach. A phone call where they were wondering why they received the letter of resignation from me.

When I explained to them that I had no idea what they were talking about, and I had no intention of resigning, that's when it hit me. This had to be the work of my mother.

I explained to the school that this was a misunderstanding and I told them I would come in first thing Monday morning to discuss it with them. And then I called Ryan.

I was so upset I couldn't think of anyone else to call in that moment. My first instinct was Jackson, but I couldn't deal with him right now. Ryan was the only other person besides Lanie that I could talk to. And since Ryan was the other half of this arranged marriage, I was hoping maybe he can help me.

I told him I needed a little bit of time to process everything and calm down before I met up with him later. Of course, he understood and agreed to help any way he could. Now, I had to deal with my mother.

I knew I should probably wait until I calmed down to call her, but fuck it. I dialed her number anyways.

"Hello?" She answered curtly. She knew why I was calling and I was surprised that she even answered.

"Why did you do it?" I asked sharply.

"Do what, Harper? You need to be more specific."

Was she fucking serious? "I know you sent a letter of resignation in my name to my school. Why did you do that? What gives you the right to do something like that to me?"

"I did what needed to be done, Harper. You agreed to this marriage. That means you agree to everything that comes with it."

She really had lost her mind. I told you I wasn't going to quit my job. I told you that I wasn't going to work for Ryan's father. What part of that didn't you understand? I already agreed to this stupid marriage for your benefit. For Dad's benefit."

She let out a sarcastic sigh on the other end of the line before she said, "Don't act like you're not getting anything out of this, Harper."

"What could I possibly be getting out of this? You are forcing me to quit my job and you're forcing me to spend my life with a man that I will never love."

"Please, Harper. Grow up. Love is for children. You're an adult. Start acting like it and accept your responsibility."

She was honestly pushing me to my breaking point and I knew I was going to say something I regretted soon. "I need to take responsibility? What the hell do you think I've been doing? I agreed to the arranged marriage and I had no intention of breaking it. Then you go and pull something like this? You didn't even have the guts to tell me about this. You just went and did it behind my back."

"Some things could not be left to chance. I didn't trust that you would do what needed to be done. So, I made sure it was handled."

I was clutching my cell phone so hard in my hand that I was surprised it didn't break. Who the hell did she think she was? It didn't matter what I said, there was no getting through to her.

"Goodbye, Mother." I hung up on her and then my anger got the best of me. I threw my phone against the wall and I watched it shatter.

I honestly couldn't believe that conversation just happened. I don't know who that woman was on the phone, but it wasn't my mother. I didn't care what she said and I didn't care what that stupid contract said. I was getting my job back one way or another.

Deciding I wanted to think about anything else in the world at that moment, I grabbed my keys, left my apartment, and started driving to the bar.

I needed a fucking drink.

I got to Down the Rabbit Hole about an hour ago and I was sitting at the bar drinking my normal vodka soda. I was trying to figure out when my life got turned so upside down.

Was it when I started dating Ryan? Was it when I agreed to this whole arranged marriage? I couldn't figure it out. All I knew was that this was not my life anymore. It was the life that my parents were forcing upon me and I couldn't take it.

I needed to figure out how to get my job back. I needed to figure out how to get out of this arranged marriage. Just saying no seemed impossible.

"Hey, Princess."

My eyes closed tight at the sound of Jackson's voice next to me. Even though I was still upset with him, his voice and his presence still sent a shiver down my spine.

"What are you doing here, Jackson? I told you I needed space." My voice came out a little harsher then I intended, but I was really pissed off. At everybody.

He took the seat next to me anyway. "I was worried about you."

A sarcastic laugh escaped me and I took a sip of my drink. "Why? Im fine."

"I know what happened, Harper. With your mum."

I was quiet for a few minutes and didn't face him. "How did you find out?"

"I was with Ryan when you called him. I tried calling you, but I couldn't get you."

I let out a long breath. "Yeah, I called my mom after I spoke to him and we had some words. Then I threw my phone against the wall. Now, here I am."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

I paused when he asked me that. Ever since we met, that seemed to be the recurring question between us. Something always seemed to be going on and we both ended up here.

"Not really. I wanted space, remember?"

"Maybe," he said with confidence in his voice, "but you don't want space from me."

To anyone else that would probably come off as arrogant. But, he was right. Right now, I wanted nothing more than to seek comfort from him. Even though I was angry that he lied to me.

Even though he was right, I asked, "Is that so? How are you so sure?"

"Believe it or not, Princess, I know you. Probably better than anyone else right now. Now tell me, do you want me to leave?"

He was right and he knew it. He probably did know me better than anyone else right now. Lanie came in at a close second to that. And to answer his other question, I didn't want him to leave. For some reason, I still wasn't able to admit that. So I turned to him and asked instead, "Why is this happening?"

"I don't know. But I promise, Ryan and I will help you figure this out. He said he's going to confront our father about this."

His statement shocked me and I finally turned to look at him. "Really? He said that?"

Jackson gave me a small smile when he answered, "Yes. He said he was going to confront him tonight and demand that you are able to keep your job. He said he knew what buttons to push to make this happen."

Jackson's words stunned me. I knew Ryan was a good guy, but this was an amazing thing he was doing for me. I was worried though that, even if he did know what buttons to press with his dad, that it wouldn't change anything. If they added this in the contract, clearly it was very important and they were dead set on it.

When I didn't say anything, he held out his hand to me. "Would you like to dance?"

"What?" I asked, clearly surprised.

"Dance with me, Princess."

I could tell from his expression that he was concerned about me and was trying to make me feel better. I reached my hand out and placed it in his, allowing him to pull me towards the dance floor. Even though there wasn't a slow song playing, he wrapped his arms around my waist, pulling my body against his. I wrapped my arms around his neck and started swaying my body to the music.

After a few minutes of dancing, I laid my head against his chest. I let out a long breath as I let the music and Jackson's warmth relieve some of the tension I was feeling. I felt his hands soothingly rub my back and I couldn't hold it back any longer.

I felt a few tears fall from my eyes and I tried to wipe them away without him noticing. It was a failed attempt and he pulled back a little, meeting my stare. I tried to look away from him, feeling embarrassed that I was letting my emotions get the best of me. He put his hand under my chin and turned my face so my eyes met his.

I felt more tears fall and his brows drew together. I saw an odd expression on his face as he brought his hand up to my face and brushed the tears away. "I told you before, Princess, no one is worth your tears. No one."

My eyes fluttered closed at his touch and his words and I turned my face, kissing the inside of his palm. I looked back at him. "Please take me away from here."

"Do you want me to take you home?"

"No," I answered immediately. I didn't want to go home. I wanted to go anywhere else besides home.

"Where do you want to go? We can go to my hotel."

I thought about his offer. To be honest, I didn't want to go to his hotel either. I thought about my options for a moment before I looked up at him. "Take me out of the city."