“Well, he worked with my father. He was close with him when I was younger so I’d seen him around. We’d barely had a conversation though. But I want to hear about you and Jackson. I have to admit, the night of the gala, I’d assumed he was some ogre for making you wear those shoes and be out late when you’re so…so pregnant.”

“Jackson?” She giggles. “Nah, that’s his Society face.” She makes a face herself at that. “He’s just a big teddy bear behind closed doors.”

“He sounds great, actually. You seem very happy.”

“I am. I love him. I’m in love with him. But aren’t you? With Santiago, I mean?”

“Um…” I look away as we walk, and I think about how to answer. “Our relationship is a little different. I mean, we didn’t start like you and Jackson.”

“No, I guess not. But you’re happy, right? I mean, love is hard in these arranged marriages. At least right at first. But you care about him, right?”

I nod. It’s true. I do.

She tugs me closer and smiles wide as we pick up the pace. “I think it’s more than that, Ivy.”

“What do you mean?”

“I have eyes in my head. I’ve seen how he looks at you.”

“How he looks at me?”

She nods.

“Well, Santiago is…complicated.”

“That he is.”

“Do you know the history between my family and Santiago’s?” I ask.

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t know. Just…” I turn to her. “I guess I don’t know why he chose me. He can have anyone. Even with…what happened.” The scars. The skull face tattoo. “I’m certainly not elevating him within The Society.”

“He was close with your dad. And now that he’s taken over his care, maybe he felt—”

I stop. “What did you say?”

She stops too and looks at me, forehead wrinkling.

“He took over my dad’s care?” I ask.

“Didn’t you know?”

I shake my head.

She glances nervously at the office window then back. “I probably wasn’t supposed to say anything. I’m sorry.”

“I won’t tell. Just please tell me. I feel so lost. I don’t know what’s going on. I feel like there are moments I’m so close to him, but then, I’m so completely in the dark. I don’t understand…I guess it just doesn’t make sense he’d choose me without some motive, and at least in the beginning he hated me, Colette. I think he married me to torment me, and…” I shake my head and Colette pulls me in for a hug.