Total pages in book: 127
Estimated words: 120186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 120186 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 601(@200wpm)___ 481(@250wpm)___ 401(@300wpm)
Her mouth drops open, then snaps shut. “Your father was a terrible man and my enemy in more than one way, but that doesn’t mean I’m celebrating his death.”
I shrug. “Why not? Everyone else is. No one would judge you for it.”
“I didn’t ask you to come here so I could discuss your father’s death.” Her voice is a soft whisper, almost breathless, so quiet I barely hear it. When she grips her glass with both hands, the ice rattles again. I’ve never seen this side of her in the few times we’ve interacted. She always has it together when she’s out and about in town.
Standing tall, she looks and plays the part of CEO. Seeing her so vulnerable reminds me that there is always another side to people, the side they hide from the rest of the world.
“Then why did you ask me to come?” I can’t help but bait her.
I could make it easy and tell her I know the truth. That I understand he must have made life hell for her the way he did everybody else, but I don’t. I’m too bitter to give her an out. After all, if it were my choice, I wouldn’t be sitting here right now.
Fuck Calder for getting into my business.
“I want to preface what I’m about to say…” Tears sparkle in her eyes when she looks up from her drink. “I would never try to get in the way of whatever relationship you might have with Elena. She is the woman who raised you, who cared for and loved you for years, but you deserve to know the truth. I’m your mother, not Elena.”
For some reason, I thought hearing her confess the truth would take the weight off my shoulders and lessen the anger simmering just beneath the surface, but it doesn’t. If anything, it makes the weight heavier and the pain deeper.
A frisson of adrenaline I’m helpless to stop follows.
“At least that means he was telling the truth.”
She jerks like I slapped her. “He told you? He always said—”
“Right before—Yes, he told me.”
“Did he tell you... everything?”
“Everything?” I lift a brow in question.
“Yes, what happened.”
“I think we both know how it happened, Emma.”
“I don’t mean that.” She leans forward on her elbows, her breathing faster now. “If you tell me what he told you and how much he told you, I can keep from repeating myself.”
“He told me you two had an affair, and I was the happy accident that came of it.”
She scoffs quietly, then takes a hearty gulp of her drink, wiping her mouth on the back of her sleeve before she speaks again. “Happy? Your father was never happy. Now tell me what he really said.”
“Does it matter? He’s dead, and I’m not here to rehash old bullshit. I’m here because I want to hear your side.” I lean in closer, resting my elbows on my knees, staring hard enough to make her squirm.
“You look so much like him when you look at me like that.” She shudders and shakes her head. “Your father was a man who stopped at nothing to get what he wanted. It didn’t matter what that want was. Land, power, people. It was all the same to him. Once he set his sights on something, it inevitably became his. I’m sure you know that by now.”
I merely nod and let her continue speaking. “In the beginning, everything was good. He showered me with praise. He had a way of making a woman feel like she was the only person in the world, and I... I was weak.” She sounds like she hates herself for admitting it. “He used my weakness against me. My desire to be loved. By the time I saw him for the monster he really was, I was already trapped. Then I found out I was pregnant, and I decided to keep it a secret. I knew I’d never get away if he found out. But Roman, he had connections, and money can buy anything. He paid off the doctor I was seeing and got the test results. After that…”
She drops her gaze to her glass, her voice cracking. “When I tried to leave… he hunted me down and dragged me back. I swear to you, I tried. I wanted you. I had every intention of keeping you.”
I’m not sure how to feel. Angry. Sad. Disappointed. All my emotions rush to the surface at once. I know what it feels like to be in her position. I made it my job to be my father’s punching bag, but that’s not reason enough to abandon me. It doesn’t heal the ache in my chest.
“Do you really expect me to believe that? When you handed me over to him the moment I was born.”
It’s not true. The rational part of me knows it’s not true, that she didn’t just hand me over, but I can’t help but strike out while everything inside me twists in knots.