Page 217 of Law Maker
Too fucking bad.
Her eyes widened. “Asher?”
“I need to talk to your husband and you.”
She cleared her throat, clutching the teardrop pendant hanging from her gold chain. Another gift from him, no doubt. Bet he never gave his daughter anything that nice. “Alright. Come in.”
I brushed past her and stopped in the middle of the foyer.
“What’s going on?” she asked.
“I saw Miguel in Aragón.”
She dropped the pendant and twisted the bracelet on her wrist. “Oh. How is he?”
“Better now that he told me the truth.”
Her face blanched. Proof enough Miguel hadn’t lied.
“Sharon?” Russell called from the dining room.
“I’ll go say hi,” I said. “Don’t worry about food. I’m not hungry.”
When he saw me in the doorway, Russell froze. I hadn’t set foot in this house in over a year. I tossed the bag with the test onto the table. The candle flame wavered with the motion. Russell set his fork down. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to tell you I know about your affair with my mother. My father’s mechanic told me everything, so don’t waste your breath denying it.”
The tips of his ears reddened. He grabbed for his wineglass, but it was too small to hide the flush creeping up his cheekbones. Not having the upper hand must’ve been a new feeling for him.
“Asher, it’s…” my mother started from behind me.
I clenched my fists. “Not what it sounds like?”
Here was the truth—despite my efforts to stay calm, it fucking hurt. Every time I remembered her and Dad together, sharing a candlelit dinner. Every family vacation. So many once-happy memories now forever tainted by her lies.
There was no excuse. She could’ve left him. He would’ve been heartbroken, but probably still alive.
She stepped toward me, like she might do something as ridiculous as hug me. I shook my head. Too fucking late to pretend she cared. It would’ve been fake—a maneuver to distract me from her betrayal.
“Miguel said you weren’t sure I was Dad’s. So please”—I turned to Russell—“do the test. You might not want to know, but I do.”
I shoved the bag toward him.
He took it, sighing through his nose. “Wait here.”
As soon as his footsteps faded, my mother gripped my arm. “I’m sorry. I really am. You were never supposed to find out. It was between your father and me.”
“So the only problem is that I found out? Not that you lied to him—and me—for fuck knows how many years?”
“Russell and I…” She crossed her arms tight over her chest, eyes flashing. “The timing was never right. We were young, and you know how it can be. You and Kaia—”
“Don’t fucking bring her into this!” My composure shattered. “Kaia and I didn’t hurt anyone. We didn’t lie to spouses and children. We didn’t cheat. So no, I don’t ‘know how it can be,’ because I’d never look at another woman. And I’m pretty fucking sure she wouldn’t betray me the way you betrayed Dad.”
“You’re being unfair,” she snapped. “Do you think your perfect little relationship is so clean? What happens if Russell is your father? You were so set on parading that girl around to spite us you never once thought about why we were against it.”
“Russell isn’t my father.” I glanced at my watch. “A minute.”
She huffed. “What minute, Asher?”
