The secret I’ve held for ten years is about to be exposed. Charlotte Frazer isn’t my daughter, at least not biologically. The great Elijah Frazer was cuckolded by a friend and his wife.
My stomach churns, my muscles ache.
Why the hell didn’t you talk to me, Lottie? Where the hell are you, munchkin?
My apartment becomes a hive of activity. The phones are tapped in case it does turn out to be a kidnapping. Another wave of nausea hits me as the officer in charge explains they can’t take any chances when my bank balance is as high as it is.
I know in my heart, though, this isn’t that. All evidence points to Lottie tracking down her mother’s lover. HerrealDad. My heart fractures all over again, the same way it did when I first found out all those years ago.
Pen comes up and places a hand on my back. I turn my head and look at her.
“How are you holding up?”
Typical Pen, no platitudes of everything will be alright, especially after the way I spoke to her this morning.
“Pen, I?—”
“Don’t,” she says, cupping my cheek. “We’ll find her. She’s going to be okay.”
“That’s not what I meant. This morning?—”
“I get it. I should have said something. I’m sorry. But I’m warning you, I’ll not be your or anyone else’s scapegoat. But know, I love you. We’ll discuss this later after we get her back.”
She presses her lips to my cheek, and I wrap my arms around her, pulling her close and breathing in her scent to ground me. She’s always been so strong. It’s not surprising my daughter turns to her. I couldn’t ask for a better role model.
She pulls my head down to rest on her shoulder.
“Everyone is here for you,” she whispers next to my ear. “Mason called. Darra has landed and is on her way here. You’re not alone, Elijah. You need to remember that. Lean on us.”
I stand up and run a hand down my face.
“I’m going to get showered and freshen up.”
I’m still in the clothes I pulled on after Darra’s initial call.
Pen nods and cradles my cheek. She says nothing, but that one touch conveys her love and support as no words can.
She squeezes my hand before heading back to the living area for now, the new control room.
I stand under the shower and let the jets of water hit me from all angles. I throw back my head to hide my tears of despair and desperation in the fast-flowing water until I’m left gasping for breath. I drop my head and shoulders forward, pressing my hands against the shower wall, gulping down air as I struggle to get my emotions under control. I can’t fall apart. I won’t.
What I would give to hit the pool and swim until my legs and arms don’t function or paint until my hand cramps. Anything I can lose myself in.
I switch off the water and stand, hands against the wall, letting the water run down my body until goosebumps form on my skin. I wipe my eyes with the back of my hand before pulling a towel off the rack and rubbing myself down. I avoid looking in the mirror, not wanting to see the broken man before me.
I pull on a set of clean clothes, going through the motions. My chest feels empty.
It’s not like I don’t get why Lottie wanted to know this piece of information. I just wish she’d spoken to me about it. Not to her mum, not to Pen. But maybe she knew I couldn’t help. After all, I would never have married her mother if I’d known the child she was carrying wasn’t mine. Lottie would never have been my daughter.
A sinking feeling hits my stomach.
Caleb has spoken to four of the names on her list. Lottie is not with any of his friends, and I can see the relief on his face. My brother and his friends had reputations asplayers, but sleeping with older women, his brother’s girlfriend? I think even Caleb was wondering. Not that we were much older. Six years.
But that leaves only two names. Both men I considered my best friends.
The doorbell chimes.
Time for battle.
