Page 78 of How to Kidnap a Fake Date
‘I thought she waspoisoningyou so she could marry you and then kill you. To take control of your business.’
‘Maggie,’ he says again, firmly enough to yank me out of my verbal diarrhoea.
Dad rubs his face, his hand dragging over the wrinkles in exasperation.
‘I have bladder cancer,’ he says.
What?
I understand the individual words, but I cannot put them together in the same thought as my dad. My dad is unstoppable. A force to be reckoned with. Larger than life.
A brittle sob breaks free as I turn to face him.
‘No. You don’t.’
‘I do.’
‘No,’ I raise my voice. ‘You don’t get sick. You’re not old enough for this.’
It’s like my brain shuts down at the very idea of it; it has to be some sort of twisted joke.
Roman reaches out and holds my hand, and I tense at his gentle touch. It’s too kind. I don’t want to cry, but it threatens to send me over the edge.
‘It was caught early,’ Dad says. ‘Veryearly. It’s treatable, and you know my doctor is excellent. I’m not hiding it, I just don’t want to worry anyone before the wedding. There’s no point.’
‘No point?’ My voice cracks. ‘No point in tellingme?’
‘Maggie—’
‘You can’t keep treating us like children, Dad. Especially not when you expect us to do the things you’ve raised us to do.’
After a brief glance at Roman, assessing his reaction to my statement, Dad sighs. ‘I wanted to make sure things were sorted. That the business wouldn’t be destabilised.’
My laugh is harsh and humourless. ‘So this is about the business?’
‘It’s abouteverything,’ he says. ‘And yes, that includes the business.’
‘It’s always about the fucking business,’ I vent.
‘You’re a good man, I like you.’ Dad directs at Roman.
Roman blinks. ‘Thank you.’
‘But you and Maggie aren’t right for each other.’
The words slice clean through me.
Not right?
Like we’re a mismatched set of furniture rather than a couple. Or at least as far as he’s concerned, being that he doesn’t know we’re faking it.
‘So stay and enjoy the wedding. Have fun together. But understand this relationship can’t be forever.’
Something inside me finally breaks. A splintering deep down.
I don’t trust myself to speak, so I turn and walk out.
Roman follows me until I stop outside my room, leaning heavily against the wall and wanting to tear my stupid, smoothed hair out.
