Sure he does.Narcissists can’t imagine a world in which they lose.
“And, anyway,” he continues.“Even if I wasn’t going to beat it, all my paperwork and everything is in order.You know that.”
Tha’s the only plus I can give my father.His hatred of the government and his desire to fuck it over by manipulating it works in my favor.He doesn’t want “his money” getting sucked up in death taxes.Which is why he’s got everything in a trust that I’m a member of.
He dies, and everything is mine.
Once he leaves, I ask my AA to hold my calls for me for a few minutes and I immediately call Daniel.
He’s quiet for a moment after I finish telling him.“No shit?”he says.
I lean back in my chair and rub my forehead.“It sounds serious.Dare I hope the end is nigh?”
“Don’t jinx yourself, baby.”He makes a sound.“Now to figure out how to handle Olivia.”
“I think I know how to do that.”
“How?”
I can’t believe I’m saying this.“I’m going to tell her I want a divorce in two weeks.”
“You…are?”
“Yeah.I want to have it filed before she finds out about Dad.”
“Okay, but why two weeks and not now?”
“After she returns from visiting her family.”Believe me, all three of us have her visit to Georgia marked as a red-letter long weekend on our calendars.I plan on spending an overnight with Daniel and Liam while she’s gone, and I don’t have to return to Georgia for business here in the office while she’s there.
“Um…okay?I’m still not following.”
“I have a feeling she’s going to come back and pick a fight with me.That’s been her pattern the past four years.If the divorce isn’t filed before she finds out about Dad, she’ll dig in her heels about filing until after he’s dead.She’ll think it’ll make her look like shit.”
“Ah.I can’t fault your logic boy.”
When hope surges inside me, I viciously stomp it down.I’m afraid to get my hopes up.
If I do, I’m sure to get my heart shattered.
“Guess you won’t have to frame your father after all.”He laughs.“We just need to wait him out.And it gets you out of running again.”
“I need to time that announcement right, too.”
“Until after you file for divorce?”
“Exactly.Then it looks like I have the perfect double-whammy excuse to drop out.Managing the optics.”
“See?You’re learning.”
“Thank you, senpai.”
He laughs.“Hey, you have to do the heavy lifting, buddy.”
I close my eyes, picturing his blue gaze.I deeply love him and while I’ve told him that many times, he hasn’t exactly said it back to me yet.
Although Liam insists Daniel loves me.Everything Daniel does seems to point in that direction, too.
Would he have welcomed me into their lives the way he has—rocky start not withstanding—if he didn’t love me?
“Let me get back to work, Sir.I just wanted to let you know what’s going on.”
“Good boy.Have a good day.Text or call me later.”And before I can utter the wordsI love you, he’s ended the call.
I stare out my office window for a long moment.You know what?At this point, I don’t care if he never outright says it to me.I really, really don’t.
Liam says it.And, aside from sadistic tortures I actually don’t mind, I believe Daniel feels it.
I feel loved by him a hell of a lot more than by my father.
Doesn’t that tell me all I need to know?
