Gerard's voice dropped. Quiet, sharp, deadly. "What do you think? I'll dig her up. Let her remind you what it means to stay in your lane. To understand your place in the bigger picture."
My heart stopped for a second.
He wasn't bluffing. That bastard would really do it.
"Apologize to Margaux," Gerard said again, tone tightening. "Promise her you won't get jealous again. That you'll never upset her."
My fists clenched. I knew then and there that I couldn't let this marriage end as they wanted it to.
I turned toward Margaux. My arms felt heavy, my chest hollow.
"… I'm sorry," I said, dead inside. "I was petty. I didn't see the bigger picture."
Her lips curled, just slightly.
Her voice was light, as if none of this even mattered. "Alright, alright. Go home. Don't throw tantrums like this again."
I nodded once and turned to leave.
But Gerard wasn't done.
"You hit Mr. Branson," he said. "Apologize to him too."
I stopped cold. My blood boiled. But I held it down.
So this was what "family" meant to them.
I laughed, just once. Dry, bitter.
"Sure," I said. "Whatever you say, Gerard."