DASHIELL
"So let me get this straight," Elena said slowly, her tone polite but dripping with condescension. "You finished your residency at twenty-four?"
I nodded, keeping my answers factual like always. "Yes. I started school early and skipped a couple of grades. University at fifteen, medical school finished at twenty, then residency. I'm a practicing pediatric neurologist now."
Victoria let out a delicate laugh that didn't reach her eyes. "How ambitious. Most people are barely out of their awkward phase at twenty-four, and here you are playing doctor with children's brains but then again, some families don't have the luxury of taking it slow, do they?"
Elena's smile stayed sweet but sharp. "It must have been exhausting, rushing through everything just to land at a tiny community hospital. How… noble."
Celine dabbed her lips with her napkin, her expression perfectly serene. "You practically sold yourself for that little thing of a hospital? How quaint. Trading your youth and potential for a few outdated machines and charity cases."
I tried to smile, but it felt strained. "It's my family's hospital, Harper Medical. It needed help, and in turn, we got to keep providing care to our community instead of letting it close, the merger has been good for both sides. We're grateful for the support."
Celine let out a soft, dismissive laugh. "What's the point, darling? It's just a small hospital. Your family should have just sold it and done something else with the money like..."
She paused, tapping a perfectly manicured nail against her wine glass as if genuinely considering it.
"Like farming," Victoria supplied helpfully, her tone bright and cruel.
Celine nodded, still smiling. "Yes, exactly. Farming. Much more straightforward."
The words stung. I felt heat rise in my cheeks, a mix of hurt and embarrassment tightening in my chest. Harper Medical wasn't glamorous, but it was ours. It mattered to the families who came through our doors.
"It's a family business," I stammered, trying to keep my voice steady. "We've run it for three generations. It's not about money, it's about helping people who actually need it. We're proud of what we do."
Elena tilted her head. "How quaint. Middle-class sentimentality. Must be nice to have such… simple attachments, Chasing 'meaning' instead of actual legacy."
Victoria swirled her wine. "Exactly. Some people are content with mediocrity. It's almost admirable, in a sad sort of way."
Celine nodded gracefully. "Poor thing. You must feel so out of place here."
Anthony sipped his wine, saying nothing, but the corner of his mouth twitched like he was enjoying the show.
I stayed quiet after that, pushing food around my plate. Their words kept circling in my head "small hospital," "sell yourself," "farming," "middle-class." They weren't yelling. They were smiling. But every comment felt designed to remind me I didn't belong here.
Then Alexander spoke for the first time all evening, his voice low, calm, and completely unemotional like he was reading a medical chart.
"Interesting," he said flatly, eyes on her, pinning her to the chair without even moving. "Elena, last quarter your 'legacy' fashion line lost twelve million dollars because you couldn't tell the difference between a trend and a tax write-off."
Elena's eyes went wide with embarrassment.
He continued in the same flat tone, turning his head slightly toward Victoria. "And Victoria, your husband's company is under federal investigation for insider trading…..again"
Victoria's smirk disappeared.
He finally looked at Celine, his black eyes completely emotionless. "Mother, if you're so concerned about my husband's background, remember that he chose to marry me when no one else would. That makes him smarter than every person at this table. Including you."
The entire room went dead silent.
Celine's face tightened. "Alexander, that is hardly…"
Gregory cleared his throat loudly. "That's enough. Let's eat like a normal family."
I felt my cheeks flame hot. Alexander had defended me, coldly, brutally, without raising his voice or even looking at me. My heart stuttered. I glanced sideways at him, but he wasn't looking back. His expression was the same blank mask as always, like the entire exchange had cost him nothing.
My heart was racing. No one had ever defended me like that. It was strangely… protective.
I looked back down at my plate. I didn't feel like eating anymore.
I just wanted to leave this place.
*****
The dinner finally ended. I excused myself quickly to use the restroom, desperate for even thirty seconds of quiet.
The moment I stepped out of the bathroom, Celine Astor was standing a few feet away, a small smile on her lips that didn't reach her eyes.
"Hope you didn't have trouble finding the bathroom," she said, gesturing gracefully behind me.
"No, ma'am," I replied, smiling awkwardly.
"Good. It's a big house. I wouldn't have been surprised if you got lost, I'm sure you're not used to places like this."
I nodded politely, not sure what to say.
She took a small step closer. "I hope you enjoyed the dinner."
"Yes, thank you," I said.
There was a beat of silence. I was about to walk past her when she spoke again, her voice soft but razor-sharp.
"I can get you out of that marriage, you know," she said softly, her smile never wavering. "You don't have to bear it. We can make it very simple and painless. A quiet annulment. You'd walk away with more money than your little hospital has ever seen."
I stopped in my tracks. "Excuse me?"
Celine smiled a little more, still not reaching her eyes. "I know you must be aware that my son, Alexander, is diagnosed with psychopathy. He doesn't feel love or guilt. He doesn't feel anything normal people feel. He's dangerous, Dashiell. Cold and unpredictable. He's always been like this even as a child. I tried to fix him, but some things can't be fixed, he'll use you until he gets bored, then discard you like he does everyone else. I've seen it before."
She stepped a little closer, voice dropping like she was sharing a terrible secret. "You seem like a sweet boy. You deserve better than being shackled to someone who will never care if you live or die. He'll never comfort you when you're sad. He'll never love you. He's simply not wired for it. Marrying him was a mistake for both of you. Let me help you escape before he ruins what's left of your life."
I stood there, stunned into silence. This was Alexander's own mother saying these things about her son to his husband. The cruelty of it hit me like a slap. My mouth opened, but no words came out.
She continued, voice gentle like she was doing me a favor. "He'll hurt you eventually, whether physically or emotionally. I can help you leave quietly. We can make it look like a mutual decision. You'll walk away with a generous settlement. No one has to know the real reason."
I opened my mouth, but no words came out. I was too shocked to speak.
Before I could find my voice, Alexander's deep, cool voice cut through the air behind me.
"We need to leave."
I turned. Alexander was standing there with that same cool, detached expression. I wondered if he had heard everything his mother had just said about him.
I forced a small smile at Celine. "Thank you for dinner, ma'am." My voice sounded shaky even to my own ears.
Then I walked toward Alexander. He turned without another word, and we left together.
The silence in the car was deafening.
Alexander drove, saying nothing. He looked completely normal, calm, unbothered, the same blank mask he always wore. If he had heard his own mother say those awful things about him, he didn't show it. Not even a flicker.
I kept stealing glances at him, my chest tight. But I kept thinking: if I had heard my own mother say those awful things about me that I was incapable of love, that I was a monster, that I was broken beyond repair, I would have been crying. But Alexander just drove, eyes on the road, like it was any other night.
I didn't know what to say. The words felt too heavy, too dangerous to break the quiet with. So I stayed silent, staring out the window, heart aching for the man beside me who acted like none of it mattered.
This marriage was already complicated.
Tonight had made it feel impossible.
And for the first time, I wondered how many times Alexander had heard words like that from the people who were supposed to love him.