Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 84000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84000 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 420(@200wpm)___ 336(@250wpm)___ 280(@300wpm)
“This is Oliver and Noah.” I stand slowly, like all my bones are weary. “Mom, do you mind if I don’t stay at home tonight? I just need a break from thinking about this stuff with Dad.”
“Not at all, sweetheart. Have you got a place to stay?”
We both turn to Worth, and he nods. I shouldn’t have presumed he’d arrange a hotel. But I’m very pleased he has.
“Why don’t you come over for breakfast?” Mom says. “I make great pancakes.”
“Sounds wonderful,” Worth says. “Can we drop you home? I have a car waiting out front.”
“I drove,” she replies. “But thank you. You don’t want these two together in the back seat of a car, like ever,” she says, gesturing to Oliver and Noah.
Mom pulls me in for a hug and I hold her a little tighter. Is this difficult for her?
“Have you two said goodbye to your father?” she asks.
Oliver doesn’t look up from his phone, but he raises his hand. “I did.”
“Actually, Mom, I’ll Uber back. I’m going to stay a little while longer,” Noah says.
She squeezes his hand. “Try and get some sleep.”
Mom grabs her coat and purse, and Oliver finally puts his phone away. We press for the elevator.
When it arrives, we step aside to let a woman out.
She’s about the same age as Mom, but with dark hair. I take in her knee-high boots and dark jeans, and she must feel me looking at her, because she smiles. She tucks her hair behind her ear as she navigates past us.
I stare as she goes down the corridor, checks something on her phone, then reaches for the handle on Dad’s door.
It’s her.
It’s Dad’s other life colliding with ours.
I look back at Mom, who’s now in the elevator with Noah and Worth. She shrugs, like there’s nothing she can do. She gave up this fight a long time ago. She grabs my hand and pulls me into the car.
“That was her,” I whisper. “Noah’s in there.”
“Yes,” Mom says.
The elevator doors close.
“What?” Oliver says, entirely oblivious to what’s going on.
I look at Worth, who takes my hand. I don’t know if I’d have the strength to get anywhere without him next to me. He makes everything easier, just by being here.
“Thank you,” I whisper.
“No thanks needed,” he says.
TWENTY
Worth
It’s late and Sophia is entirely out of energy. Everything about her is heavy—her gaze, her footsteps, her hand in mine. I take off her coat as she steps into the hotel suite. Then I bend and take off her shoes. “Can I run you a bath?”
She shakes her head. “I just want to lie on the bed and watch movies and eat junk.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do.” She’ll be asleep in ten minutes. I head to the closet. “I hope you don’t mind, I had Jules pack up some stuff and I got it sent over.”
“What stuff?” She turns and sees her clothes hanging in the wardrobe.
“I thought you’d want to be comfortable.”
“How? I mean… that’s so incredibly nice of you, Worth.”
“It’s nothing. I had my housekeeper pack up some things of mine too.” I check the drawers. “Yeah. We have sweats. And thick socks. Perfect for a movie.”
It’s past midnight, but if she needs a movie to sleep, that’s what she’ll get.
I guide her over to the bed. I pull out some comfortable clothes and start to undress her. I work quickly, pulling down the zipper of her dress before pulling a hoodie over her head.
“I’m so tired,” she says.
I nod. “It’s late. You’ve had an exceptionally long day.”
I kneel at her feet and help her into her sweatpants, then lift her onto the bed and hand her the remote. “I’m just going to change.”
I do, and Sophia flicks through the TV channels.
“Find anything?” I ask.
“Nope. I need a murder mystery or something. Dark but not gory.”
“Agatha Christie-ish?”
“Exactly.”
I take the remote from her and scroll through the channels until I land on an adaptation starring loads of British actors. Next stop is the minibar, to gather snacks. “I have popcorn, gummy bears, or M&M’s.”
“Yes, please.”
I crawl onto the bed next to Sophia and she shifts to be closer to me, resting her head on my chest. “You okay?” I stroke her hair away from her face as she focuses on the TV.
“You know that woman who got out of the elevator as we were leaving?”
I think I know what she’s going to say, but I keep my suspicions out of my voice. “Yeah,” I say.
“She’s been having an affair with my dad for twenty-five years. She has two kids with him. And my mom has known for decades.”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
“Fuck, Sophia. That’s a lot. You just found out?”
“During my last trip to Cincinnati. My mom announced she wanted a divorce.” She pauses to shove a handful of M&M’s into her mouth. Once she chews and swallows, she continues. “I don’t even understand why—or any of it. Part of me wants every detail, wants to hear my dad explain why he betrayed us all. Why he lied and cheated all this time. And then another part of me just wants to run away and pretend it’s not happening.” She takes another M&M and pops it in my mouth. “My dad has been calling me nonstop since I found out. I haven’t accepted a single one. Haven’t answered any of his texts.” Her voice breaks. “You think that’s why he had a heart attack?”