Rafe felt like a jerk. He moved to take her in his arms, but she backed away again.
“Don’t touch me! You wanted to hear it, fine, you’re going to get all the dirty details. As I was saying, nothing was ever good enough for them, until the day I finally met a man who won their approval. He was rich, good looking and from a wealthy, politically-connected family. I was so brainwashed into believing my goal in life was to please them, I ended up engaged to the guy. I even convinced myself I loved him, because it was the only way I could justify being with someone who didn’t really value me as a person. Do you know what my mom said to me shortly after we announced our engagement?”
“What?” Rafe could tell by the pain in her eyes it was difficult for her to relive these memories.
“She said, ‘I’m glad you finally did something that didn’t make me regret not aborting you’.”
Rafe’s mouth dropped opened. He thought his mother was a piece of work, but it seemed that India’s was just as monstrous. “She didn’t, did she?”
India nodded. “It’s not the worst thing she’s ever said, or my father for that matter. Besides, I was so starved for their approval that comment actually made me happy. Can you imagine how warped a person has to be to live off of crumbs like that?”
“So what happened between you and your fiancé?”
“I stayed engaged to Steven even though he treated me like his dumb trophy arm piece. He never listened when I had an opinion and when I did dare to voice one, he was condescending and told me to just be quiet and look pretty. Considering I let go of a great guy just because my parents didn’t think he came from the right background, Steven was all I believed I deserved. I tried to hang on, but finding him in bed with another woman made me realize I couldn’t be with him no matter how much I tried to fool myself that I could. I broke off the relationship in public at the engagement party. My parents were furious. They didn’t even care about what he’d done. They were angry because they had lost their chance of being connected to such a powerful family. My feelings weren’t taken into consideration. So you see. The grass may not be greener, but it certainly can’t be any browner.”
She wiped the wet trails from her cheeks before turning on her heel, leaving Rafe where he stood, wishing he’d kept his big mouth shut.
Stranded
Chapter Eleven
The snails weren’t so bad once they’d been cooked in the fire. They tasted nothing like the escargot in the restaurants, but it was a welcome change from the coconuts. Grant and Rafe hadn’t managed to catch fish, but they’d caught a few more crabs.
This time, with the fire, the food was much more palatable. For the first time in several days, India’s stomach was content. She pulled the stick away from the fire and studied the charred mollusk she’d speared with it. When she was satisfied it was cooked all the way through, she picked it off the tip and popped it in her mouth.
The men had been reluctant to try them, but they eventually broke down and gave them a shot, preferring that over hunger. It must not have been so awful for them, because they ate several more.
No one said much around the fire as they ate, but India felt it was time for them to have a little talk concerning her earlier outburst. After telling Rafe a few home truths, he had tried to approach her, but she wasn’t having it. Now that she’d had some time to cool down, India was able to think about the situation more clearly.
From snippets of their prior conversations, she was able to discern that Rafe and Grant may have experienced some childhood trauma. When put in that context, she could understand where Rafe’s anger may have come from. He probably believed she was being an ungrateful brat. Now she had to know what happened to them in their past. Maybe it would give her some kind of clue as to the closeness between the two men.
“Rafe,” she cleared her throat. “I hope there aren’t any hard feelings about today.”
Rafe shot her a smile and she knew all was forgiven. He put down the stick he’d been holding over the fire, before moving across the cave to sit next to her. He placed his hand on her knee. “I’m sorry about what I said. I had no right to make those assumptions. I was unreasonably angry. This temper of mine gets the best of me sometimes.”
India placed her hand against his bearded cheek. “It’s alright. I think I understand why you were upset and I know this is asking a lot, but would you tell me about it?”
Rafe withdrew his hand and clenched his fist at his side. “It’s not something I like talking about.”