“Not even fucking close!” I hiss.
“It hurt me to hurt Sydney. I did love her as if she was my own flesh and blood. She was such a sweetheart. Having to walk away from her was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done especially because I knew I was leaving her with that…that fucking psycho!” Unnamed emotion flits across her face. “I have felt huge guilt for years.”
“So you should. He made her life hell. She doesn’t even talk to him anymore. That’s how bad it was.”
She at least has the decency to look ashamed. “I’m genuinely sorry to hear that, but I had to make a choice, Jared.” Leaning across the garden table, she takes my hand. I snatch it back immediately and glower at her. “He threatened your life,” she admits. “He warned me if I didn’t keep you away from his princess he would kill you and hide the evidence.”
Bitter laughter slips from my lips. “Come on, Mum. Surely you didn’t fall for that.”
“Mock me all you like, but I know what that man is capable of. The threat was very real.”
I lean forward. “Why did he do it? Why take over Dad’s company and try to ruin us?”
“I’m not sure you’re ready to hear that truth.”
“Goddamn it, Mum!” I slam my fist down on the table. “Enough with the lies! Just tell me!”
“Your father had an affair with Michelle Shaw,” she blurts, and my jaw slackens.
“What? When?”
“It started when you kids were only toddlers. They were carrying on right under our noses for years. They were planning to set up home together until Michelle got cancer and Amos dumped her.” A cruel sneer spreads over her lips, and I never would’ve thought Mum capable of such naked hostility.
“I don’t believe you.”
She barks out a laugh. “No, of course, you don’t. You thought your father could do no wrong, but he was a cheating asshole who couldn’t keep it in his pants. Michelle was not his first affair nor his last.”
Shock races through me. “Are you telling the truth or embellishing it because the man is not here to defend himself?”
Hurt splays across her face. “I guess I did a better job of shielding you than I realized. Ask Heather if you don’t believe me. Your older sister saw a lot of it. She knows the truth.”
“Why did you stay with him? If he was cheating on you, why didn’t you leave?”
Tears pool in her eyes. “Because I loved him. I knew most of them meant nothing, but that was before Michelle. She was my best friend. Our kids were best friends. Our husbands were best friends. How could she do that to me?” She’s full-on crying now, and some of my anger fades.
I circle my arm around her shoulders. “It was a double betrayal. I can’t imagine how that must have felt. Did you confront her?”
Mum sniffles and pulls away. “I didn’t know at the time of her death. I only found out years later.” She swipes at the dampness under her eyes. “Herman was getting work done in the house. The workmen found a box when they pulled up the flooring in his bedroom. It contained letters, shared between his wife and my husband, along with damning pictures and other mementos of their secret relationship.”
“Herman didn’t know either?”
She shakes her head and swallows a mouthful of beer. I take the opportunity to go inside and grab two fresh ones.
I sit back down and slide a bottle to her side.
“He was devastated.” Mum stares into space as she talks. “Herman idolized his wife. He was obsessed with Michelle, sometimes to the point she felt smothered. I have never seen a man more in love with his wife than Herman Shaw. Her betrayal changed him, and not for the better.”
“He wanted revenge. That’s why he did it.”
Air expels from her mouth. “Yes, and he planned it methodically. He continued pretending to be your father’s friend for over a year while he plotted to ruin his life. He wanted to take everything from him so he would know similar devastation.” She averts her eyes and picks at the label on her bottle. “Your father found out before he could put his full plan into place, and well, you saw how that turned out.”
She wets her lips. “It’s why we left. We were terrified Herman would physically harm us.” She turns to face me. “He was acting crazy, and he wanted you nowhere near his daughter. He considered you to be a chip off the old block. He was convinced you would turn out to be a philanderer like your dad. He made death threats against you, Jared. I know you’re struggling to accept this, and I understand how it sounds, but that man is pure evil. We hadn’t realized it before, or maybe what your father did sent him over the edge. Either way, I wasn’t taking any chances. You are my son, and I had to prioritize you over Sydney. I’m not saying it’s right, but I did what I had to do.”
She drains the rest of her first bottle and instantly starts drinking the second.
“Did Dad know about the photo?”
She shakes her head. “He wouldn’t have approved. He loved Syd, and he was worried about her.”
