I stiffened, my fingers curling into fists as I glared at him. "I didn't exactly plan to stay for long."
That wasn't true, though. Not entirely.
I had a solid plan—yesterday, even earlier today. For years, I had mapped out my future with careful precision. Graduate with top honors in business, return home, prove my worth at my father's company, and make him see that I wasn't some disposable afterthought. That I mattered.
Tonight was supposed to be another step in that direction. I had socialized, smiled in all the right places, played the part of the perfect daughter. I had done everything right.
And yet, here I was. Still being discarded.
Still being reminded that no matter how hard I tried, I would never be enough.
His jaw tightened, his discomfort now obvious. "And you're leaving in the middle of the night?" Niklaus asked, his voice low, controlled—too controlled. "Alone?"
