In my heels, I was an inch taller than him, and he looked so happy and young as he beamed at me.
I hadn’t seen him in a suit.Ever.
“Zsófia,” he said — his breathless, joyful voice jolting pity into my heart like a defibrillator. “I’m so glad you made it.”
“It’s a fancy party,” I told him, gesturing vaguely.
Fuck,I hadn’t even noticed all the peonies up the staircase. Or the chandelier and log ceiling that went up through…were there three floors?
He was doing something other than tinkering with spanners.
My dad didn’t even own a place like this, and he’d been the director of a team.
I looked past him to see if Everly and Luca had gotten far. If they ever settled down and decided on a country to stay in for longer than a month, they could probably afford something similar.
Me?I’d have to dream on.
“It’s a beautiful home,” I said into the silence where he was just staring at me.
A home I might have spent more time in if things were different.
A home I may have had a bedroom in.
“Isn’t it?” Zoltán said behind me, his hand on my lower back. “Imre, I’m sure you’re busy.”
Then I was ushered through the light hallway into the open doors opposite. “What was that?”
“You clearly don’t like him,” he said, but kept his hand on my back. “You’ve made multiple comments.”
It hadn’t felt unpleasant. Not something I had to be saved from, anyway.
“And he should tell you—”
“Yes, but—”
This was not a garden. This was an event. The backdrop was a small lake, leading into the canopy of vibrant trees, but what stopped me mid-step was the setup.
A hundred chairs waited patiently, facing the lake and a flower arch.
I turned to Zoltán, mouth open, ready to tell him, “Oh my god, this is a wedding.”
But he knew. He was wincing.
And watching my reaction.
I pushed off his touch and pointed a finger at where we’d just seen my biological fatherbecause… because… no.
“Zoltán, tell me right now this isn’t… this isn’t Imre’s wedding.”
The concern in his eyes — soft, genuine — made it worse.
My chest heaved in the white silk dress.
My dad was getting married? And I didn’t even know?
And I was wearing white.Fuck, that was why everyone was glaring at me, wasn’t it?I felt my face bleach of all colour, nearly as pale as the silk in question.
“You knew.” My voice cracked, and his eyes widened, his arm reaching for my waist, but I dodged him. “You knew, didn’t you? And you didn’t say.”
