Page 124 of His Secret
“Oh, I didn’t drive. I flew.”
I roll my eyes as I make my way to the kitchen. The flight is an hour and half. Even more unnecessary when the drive is only four hours, but of course my father would rather fly.
He follows me to the kitchen, his dress shoes clicking across the floor. He’s dressed in a suit, like he hopped on a plane right after a business meeting. I’m actually not sure I’ve ever seen my father dressed casually.
“Does she know,” he says in a quiet but firm voice.
“Know what?” I question, opening the fridge.
“Based on my conversation with her, I can tell things between you two aren’t going too well. She seems very upset. Does she know?”
I slam it closed and look at him. “Know. What?” I ask through gritted teeth.
“That you’re fucking your boss,” he says with barely disguised disgust.
His words launch at me, and I blanch, surprised even though the statement is true. Luckily, I can hear the water running upstairs and know Charlotte has just gotten in the shower. I still keep my voice down.
“What are you talking about?”
My heart gallops in my chest and I’m afraid that not only can he hear it, but if he looks close enough, he’ll see it threatening to burst through my skin. He can’t actually know. He’s only guessing. Assuming. And it pisses me off that he’s right.
He crosses his arms over his chest. “You move out here with some line about needing a new start. Wanting to get out from under me and find your own path, only to run straight to that boy and get under him.”
I bite down on my teeth, grinding them as I try to figure out what to say first.
“I didn’t know he worked there until I got here.”
“Sure.” He uncrosses his arms and places one hand on the edge of the counter. “But you do find yourselfunderhim.”
I shoot him a look and shake my head. “This conversation is ridiculous.”
“It is,” he agrees. “I hate that I can’t trust my son to move his wife to a new town and NOT start fucking some boy. I thought you outgrew this. I thought you made the decision to work for me—to one day run the company. I thought you put these ridiculous thoughts out of your head and gained some sense. But no. You sneak off next door to fuck the same boy you?—”
“He’s not a fucking boy!” I shout, louder than I meant to.
Dad jolts back slightly, eyebrows up before his face settles into a sneer. “I knew it.”
I shake my head, remembering he’s aware Matías is myneighbor thanks to a conversation with Charlotte. “I don’t want to run your company. I’m staying here.”
“Your wife is still fragile. She looked ready to break the minute she saw me. Not only are you cheating on her, but you’re cheating on her with a…man.” He looks me up and down like I’m trash. “You’re going to send her into a tailspin. She’ll be back to her old ways in no time. You can’t move her away from her family and everything she knows and then abandon her this way. Are you only concerned about yourself?”
I cross my arms. “I didn’t force her to come. She chose to follow me here.”
“She’s your wife. Of course she came with you.”
“And funny you’re talking about only being concerned with myself. Since when have you ever been concerned with anyone but yourself? You threatening to disown me was for who? You said I wouldn’t have a family, a job, a future if I didn’t do exactly whatyouwanted me to do. You said I needed to marry her so she could have a strong and stable figure in her life. You wanted me to be the father of a child that wasn’t mine. You and David forced us together in some marriage-of-convenience situation, except it was only for your convenience. So she wouldn’t embarrass him or bring negative press to your business dealings. I’ve beenanythingbut selfish. Everything I’ve done in life has been to appease you! And now her. Everybody needs something from me, but what about what I need? Huh?”
If anything, he looks slightly surprised by my outburst, but not necessarily moved. Which isn’t surprising.
“What youneedis to be a man and step up to the plate. What you’re doing isn’t any different from any other man out there.”
“That’s what you have with Mom? You’re with herbecause once upon a time your father and her father forced you together? Or were you allowed to meet and fall in love with her on your own accord?”
I know it’s the latter. I’ve heard the story about them meeting in college. Love at first sight according to Mom.
He doesn’t reply to my question.
“What’s your plan here, Adrian? You’re gonna have this little thing on the side forever? Stay married and continue fucking the neighbor? Wait until your wife finds out? Because trust me, son, they always do. And then what?”