Page 196 of My Dark Prince
She ignored me. “Cooper was nice and warm. He’d bring me cookies from my favorite bakery to brighten my day. He made me laugh with stupid jokes. Once, he gave me tickets to a premier league game. It was easy to fall into his trap when he was the only one giving me attention in that godforsaken city.”
“Still not valid reasons.”
Her nostrils flared. She peered down at her fingers, which twisted in her lap. “I wanted to get pregnant. I wanted to become a mother, badly. And I thought, if I could tell Jason the baby was his, I could get away with it.”
I stared at her, dumbfounded. Did she … intentionally sleep with Cooper to get pregnant?
“We only did it once. But once was enough. Luckily, Jason and I relocated back to New York during my pregnancy. When you came out …” She closed her eyes, sighing heavily. “It was obvious you weren’t Jason’s. Every single day that passed cemented it more and more. You barely looked related tome.”
“Do I …” I gripped my coffee mug tighter. “Do I look like Cooper?”
She stared me right in the eyes as she said, “You look just like your father.”
At her words, I curled my toes inward, motioning for her to continue.
“Jason was suspicious from day one – before we even took you home from the hospital. He didn’t confront me until your third birthday. We lived in Dubai at that point.”
I didn’t care about how Jason found out. My mind latched on to a huge detail. “You took me away from Cooper?”
“It was too risky for me to let him see you. After we returned from New York, Cameron stuck around as a doorman just to get a glimpse of you every morning when I pushed you in your stroller.”
“I’m hisdaughter. He wanted me. He actually wanted me. How could you?”
“I’ll tell you what I told Cameron before we left for Dubai.” She tipped her chin up, still defiant. “It would be selfish of him to break up a family, just so he could have you in his life. Jason took good care of us financially in ways Cameron never could. He was a nineteen-year-old with a shitty job and no savings.”
“I don’t care about money. I’d rather have a lot of love than a lot of cash.”
“Says the girl marrying one of the richest men in the world.”
“There is more to life than money, Philomena.”
“Well, Cameron didn’t agree with that. He stepped out of my way when I pointed out the better life Jason could provide for you. You see, Cameron came from a rich family that lost everything when his father drove their business into the ground. He knew what it was like to be dealt a bad hand and didn’t want it for you.”
“Iwasdealt an awful hand,” I pointed out. “I was dealtyou.”
“You know.” She grabbed her coffee, slurped through the straw, then slammed it back on the table between us. “You are not doing yourself any favors with this attitude.”
I was so proud of myself for not strangling her. “Please, continue.”
“Jason demanded a paternity test. He was livid. I was scared. I had to come clean. I told him you were Cameron’s. He got mad. Really mad.”
I swallowed hard. “He didn’t want me.”
“No, he did.” Philomena’s lips flattened. “He did accept you. He did want you. He never was a doting father – that’s just his personality. He didn’t blame you for what happened. I was the one he was mad at.”
She said it as ifsheblamedmefor that. “No matter how much I begged, pleaded, and apologized, he never forgave me. He didn’t divorce me, either. He liked having a daughter. Liked that I waited for him every evening with a homecooked meal in my lingerie. But he punished me in other ways. He took lovers. Many of them. Paraded them in front of me. He teased me about them in front of our friends, humiliating me. He slept in another room, but he still came to me on occasion to have sex …”
She buried her face in her hands, shaking her head. “He did it cleverly. The way he conquered and divided the house. He made me resent you, because he was actually nice to you, so I turned him against you.”
I blinked, struggling to digest the last sentence. “You turned him against your own toddler child?”
“Don’t you dare judge me.” She jabbed a finger at me. “I did what I had to do. You were a child. Healthy, wealthy, and beautiful. I knew you would find your way. Jason was my only chance at happiness. My only shot.”
“Jason didn’t have to play along with you. Hechoseto hate me.”
“I was sick and tired of caring for a child that stole all of my own husband’s attention. Jason started to notice that when we hired a full-time nanny, he liked me better. So, avoiding you fixed our relationship.”
“How romantic …” I didn’t care to hear about any of this. I’d come for one thing. “Where does Cameron live now?”
