They both look at us, completely blindsided. Aaron smiles, like he knew we were coming. He must have been the one Tristan was texting, waiting for the signal to join.
Has my brother been planning this all along?
Don’t get ahead of yourself. Aaron has never done that before. Why now?
No expectations. No disappointment.
I’m just going to follow their lead.
Bob turns to Aaron. “Are you kidding me with this? What’s gotten into you? I can’t believe you’re acting this way. Why would you bring her here? You know what it does to your mother.”
Aaron’s tone turns venomous. “Mom or you? Now that I think of it, she was never the one to badmouth Zoe, and even if she did, I feel like she only did it to please you. What kind of monster are you?”
Aaron’s face is flushed, his eyes narrowed into fiery slits, and his fists are clenched so tightly that his knuckles are white. Veins pulse visibly on his forehead, and his breathing is heavy and labored. I have never witnessed Aaron this angry before.
Right as Bob is about to open his mouth, Aaron steps in. “You know what? It doesn’t matter. I’m not remotely interested in hearing your explanation. All I want to hear out of your mouth right now is an apology for everything you’ve put Zoe through. Both of you.”
Bob’s howling laughter startles Elaine so much that she lets out a loud hiccup. She looks so weak right now and it’s embarrassing.
If he’s not my biological father, then who is? Could there be someone out there who loved my mother enough to love me too? Maybe not, because he gave us up. But maybe he never knew about me in the first place. My mom could have disappeared.
But what if…
I can’t think about that right now. Hope is the root of heartbreak, and it has no place in my thoughts.
“Over my dead body. I’m not sorry, and I never will be. Actually, scratch that.” Bob throws his hands in the air like a fucking child about to have a tantrum. “I am sorry about one thing. For not forcing your mother to abort her. I should haveput my foot down that day, but she was so upset, I dropped it. Didn’t want to make a scene at the clinic.”
Dominik moves so quickly I don’t even know what’s happening until Bob is on the ground, nearly unconscious. Tristan and Aaron yank Dominik off him, barely able to restrain him while Bob just lies there, groaning and holding his bloody face.
“Oh my god, Bob! Aaron, call the police.”
Tristan laughs. “Yeah, that’s not going to happen.”
“Then I will!” Elaine sneers, acting like we’re at fault here.
“You touch your phone, and I’ll make sure everyone you know and love, excluding Aaron, suffers in ways you can’t begin to imagine,” Tristan says calmly as he turns toward my mother. She stares at him, stunned with her hand hovering over her phone.
“Are you good?” Aaron asks Dom right before he’s nudged off.
“Yeah, I’m good. I just… I couldn’t take that anymore.”
I keep my eyes on Dominik as I speak. “It’s okay. But I don’t need his apology. I don’t want anything from them.”
“I do. I want his head,” Dom sneers.
“Alright. Calm down, Henry the VIII.” Tristan removes his jacket, casually placing it on a chair by the door. As he turns around, something about his demeanor shifts, and suddenly, he effortlessly commands the entire room. Even Elaine, who is seated next to Bob on the floor, watches Tristan. “Now that we’ve all had some time to talk about our feelings and Zoe doesn’t want an apology, I’m going to get to it because I’d like to enjoy some of this night and let Zoe get back to being a wonderful event host.” Tristan winks at me, making me blush. “Since we don’t expect Zoe to protest, Aaron and I decided to take care of the situation ourselves.
“What is he talking about, Aaron?” Bob says, struggling to sit up.
Elaine looks so pathetic as she helps him, especially after everything he just said about her. She’s still at his beck and call, like a slave. If I were her, I would have spat in his face.
Aaron seems completely composed. Meanwhile, I’m trying not to shit myself and have a panic attack at the same time.
Tristan takes his sweet-ass time speaking, purposely stalling and looking at his nail beds. “Your retirement fund, the one you’ve been building since your early thirties, has been moved to an account under Zoe’s name. Everything you’ve worked hard to save now belongs to your daughter. Isn’t that so thoughtful?”
I’m experiencing a brain malfunction, causing me to blink and swallow repeatedly.
What did he say?
