The silence was tense for a long moment before Rosalie sighed, finally turning her gaze back to her father after having let it drift out the window to look out over the lush lawn that she never appreciated before that moment.

"Paul is in love with someone else," she explained, shrugging, "She's pregnant. She found out three days ago, and he couldn't have been happier when he found out."

She smirked humorlessly, ignoring the way her father's face paled.

"I was at the clinic when I saw them. I... was going to make a scene. Like I always do. Possibly throw things. Definitely scream a lot. But before I even got close I saw him crying... admitting that she and the baby were all he ever wanted, and even if he couldn't give her a ring he'd give her everything else."

Her eyes snapped to his then, hardening with resolve.

"I have spent the last three days thinking about the last five years... three days isn't a very long time to realize everything you've ever wanted, ever dreamed about, and ever fought for is actually, truly worthless. Turns out, though, it's long enough. So," she breathed, crossing her arms and holding his gaze, "Why? Why would you let a man like that be the one I relied on to keep my dream alive when every single one of us know it's not a bad investment?"

He didn't answer then, still frozen and processing what he'd just heard. That gave Lucas time to get angry enough to stop into the room and grab her by the arms, turning her to face him.

"He did what?" he growled, his eyes dark with a fury only a brother could embody.

"Will you come with me?" Rosalie asked Lucas, making Lucas' brow furrow and confusion take over his anger.

"Where are you going?"

"Abroad," Rosalie said, her sad smile breaking Lucas' heart into a thousand pieces in her hands, "I'm going to let the company die, Luke. I'm going fail, just like Dad wanted, and I'm going to run away... and I want you to come with me."

"What are you talking about Rose?!" her mother gasped, leaping to her feet and grabbing her hand in panic, "What do you mean, abroad?"

"My own father doesn't believe in me," Rosalie laughed dryly, "the only man I've ever chased despises me, and I'm the laughing stock of everyone I've ever known... and not known... and it's all my fault. I've... I don't know how to be different, Mom. I really don't. But I can't change here. Not like this."

Rosalie turned to where her father's face had morphed into one full of so many conflicting emotions she couldn't tell what he was thinking.

"You wanted my company to fail? Fine. I'll watch it burn. I'll accept that a drunk night and an obsession with a man was all it took for his brother to steal my designs. I'll accept I'm the failure you truly believed I was, because without that night he wouldn't have had a chance to take the notebook. It doesn't matter that they're all bestselling jewelry pieces around the country now. It doesn't matter that my stolen collection is considered one of the most revolutionary designs in over a decade. My own idiocy led me here, and I'll own it. I'll accept it."

He didn't speak, though his throat worked like he wanted to. He just listened, his eyes darkening more with each word she spoke.

"In exchange," she breathed, turning back to her brother with a pleading gaze, "We're going to go to the states. We'll go to NYU. Luke for business, me for design. We'll get our masters there - I already confirmed all our credits will transfer. Two years abroad. He comes back an even better heir, and I come back as, hopefully, a different person entirely."

"NYU," Lucas rasped, "Rose, you don't have to-"

"It being your dream college is just a coincidence," she huffed, waving him off, "Don't look too far into it."

She knew it was a lie. So did he. He didn't say another word, just tightened his grip on her arms.

"Do you realize what you're saying?" her father said lowly, "Your engagement party cost us thousands. The entire city is going to be watching tonight. It's-"

"They're watching so they can laugh," Rosalie said honestly, studying him, "and, once again... I truly can't understand why you want that for me."

His grip tightened on the back of his desk chair, and something passed through his eyes that Rosalie caught despite how fast it was gone.

Guilt.

"You wanted this because you want the business tie," Rosalie voiced her growing suspicion, "You didn't cause it, not directly... but you predicted it, or at least planned to capitalize on it when you figured it out. That's it, isn't it? That's why."

Lucas and Rosalie's mother both turned to him, looking for confirmation as Rosalie continued to speak - both looking conflicted and a bit confused.

"This isn't really for me," Rosalie continued quietly, "It took me losing everything I cared about and falling apart for three days to really figure it out. That this... this is what you wanted... and you were willing to let me crash and burn just to get it."

"You don't understand anything."

"You will fund our trip abroad," Rosalie sighed, shaking her head because it truly didn't matter anymore, "You will handle the engagement getting canceled. Feel free to drag my name through the mud - it's not like you can do any more damage than I already have. You'll handle the bankruptcy and destruction of my company."

Her eyes returned to his and locked on as she added, "and if you don't, I will put every piece of evidence I can't afford to send to a lawyer online. I will use every last dollar I have left at my company to fund it as a marketing campaign... and I will burn every single connection you have to the Daltons right along with my own company. Then I will still leave."

Rosalie boarded the plane with Lucas only a few hours later, at the exact moment she was supposed to be walking on stage and watching Paul slide a ring on her finger like she was actually the one he wanted.

Before she left, she deleted every social media account she had and got a new phone with only her family and Rebecca - her best friend - saved. Everything else she left behind - every connection and every bad decision that had led her to an arrangement that she had no doubt would have destroyed her life if she hadn't destroyed it first.

"I'm proud of you," Lucas said after the plane had evened out, and the seatbelt sign had gone off.

It was the first real thing aside from the bare minimum required to get to that point that he had said since they had been standing in their father's office.

His mind hadn't stopped reeling, and he had a feeling it'd take him a hell of a lot longer than three days to process it all. Still, he couldn't help thinking that his disaster of a sister had just done one of the bravest things he'd ever seen, and he was proud as hell.

"Don't celebrate yet," she huffed, leaning her head on his shoulder, "You're going to be stuck with me for two years in a foreign country that doesn't have a clue who we are. Shit's gonna be rough."

"Yeah, well... I could think of worse things."