Broken World Read Free Page B

and her hands soft. I doubt she’s doing anything other than ordering people around.
    “Is your mother coming back to town soon?” Molly asks.
    “Allegedly. We’ll see if she actually shows.”
    “Hopefully she does. I could use her advice on European designers.”
    I look up from watching the waiter pour my coffee. Molly knows the designers as well as Mom. She spends her summers in Europe.
    An awkward silence falls, and I doctor up my coffee.
    “Caffeine isn’t a good idea for you right now, sweetie.”
    I flush. Molly waves the waiter over and orders me herbal tea. I always feel off around her and Joseph. Neither of us talks until after the tea is brought. Molly pours me a cup. I sip at it and clench the warm cup in my hands to keep from fidgeting. Our food comes out, and I start to eat.
    “Your mother helped me out last year. I had a moment of indiscretion, as Daddy would say.”
    “But you’re marrying Emmitt. You’ve been together for years,” I point out. “Why not have a shotgun wedding instead of … of what you did?”
    “Emmitt was detailed abroad at the time,” Molly replies. “He wasn’t the father.”
    I stare at her. Perfect, darling Molly cheated on the son of a former president?
    “The father was a college friend,” she says. “Emmitt and I were on the rocks at the time. He cheated on me, and I wanted to show him what it felt like. It was beyond stupid and petty. I didn’t expect to get pregnant.”
    “Wow,” I breathe.
    “You should know that our public personas are not who we actually are,” Molly chides me.
    “Mine is. Shea and Daddy gave me no choice.” The memory of my press conference makes tears come to my eyes. I’m still humiliated by it, by seeing pictures of my battered face and body all over the news and internet.
    “You’re also Daddy’s ace-in-the-hole right now. His ratings have sky-rocketed since your pictures hit the newsstands. “
    “Great. I’m glad my rape is gonna get him reelected!”
    “That’s the game, Mia,” Molly says coolly.
    “I hate it!”
    “I know. And that’s okay.”
    I wipe my eyes and look at her. Her smile is genuine this time, and I see pity in her eyes.
    “Not everyone needs – or wants – to play the game. Your mother always sheltered you from it. Daddy lost interest in you when he realized you’re not meant for it. We all knew it when you were young. You know Daddy. If something isn’t going to help him get elected, it’s not worth his time.”
    I nod.
    “That changed when you were raped. Shea’s brilliant at her job and saw an opportunity. She took it.”
    Molly’s cold, calm words make more sense than I’ve ever been able to make out of my world.
    “Now that you’re an asset to Daddy, you’re going to find your world growing smaller,” she continues. “I was always jealous of you, Mia.”
    “Jealous?” I echo, surprised. “Why?”
    “You had everything I did, plus your freedom. You could go to the mall without being hounded by press. You weren’t a puppet to Daddy’s team. You didn’t have to look perfect and say perfect things.”
    I’ve never thought of Molly as being trapped in the world she seems to love. I’ve never seen this Molly, the one who didn’t act like Daddy’s pet. I never knew she had her own thoughts.
    “I thought you were happy,” I say, confused.
    “I am. It took me a long time to realize it is a game and how to play it. I’ve learned how to create an oasis away from the spotlight. Much like your mother, I love being a public figure. But watching her taught me to balance the public figure with the private, and not resort to alcohol.”
    “So are you marrying Emmitt because you love him, or because Daddy wants you to?” I ask the question I’ve wanted to know the answer to for awhile.
    “It’s what’s expected of someone in my position. What Emmitt and I both know is that our public images require sacrifice and work. When he proposed, we agreed that we both intend to remain