AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I draw back, ready to make a joke when he reaches into a drawer and extracts a jar containing almonds, hazelnuts, and pistachios.
“Oh.” I place a hand on my chest. “Actual snacks.”
As the car pulls out into the road, Roman leans back in his seat and smirks. “If you prefer the other kind, I’d be happy to oblige.”
“Maybe later.” I unscrew the jar of nuts and take a handful.
“How is the art going?” he asks, his eyes softening.
I launch into a summary of what I’m planning for the next painting. It’s going to be a massive canvas featuring a close-up of male perfection sinking into nature. I want something more intricate than wildflowers, which is why I’m taking time to study every kind of fungi growing in the forest surrounding the house.
Roman listens attentively with a smile, as though basking in my enthusiasm. I can’t help but preen under his attention. “You’re the first person who has ever supported my work.”
His brows pinch together. “Surely your parents noticed your talent.”
“My mom had too many demons, and I didn’t know my dad.”
“She never told you about him?”
I bite back a bitter laugh and grab another handful of nuts.
“What is it?” he asks.
Almonds and hazelnuts crunch between my teeth, soothing my banked resentment. “The only time she talked about him was whenever I got into trouble at school.”
“What did she say?”
“You’re just like your father,” I recite in a monotone. “Always selfish. Always thinking you’re above the rules. Always so violent. This is why I have to keep you away. To stop you from becoming a monster.”
“Monster?”
I shake my head. “Sometimes, she made him sound like a serial killer. Other times she’d call him a thief and a bum. She couldn’t decide whether he was a bottom feeder or a psychopath.”
Roman’s hand finds mine, and he gives it a squeeze. “I’m sorry.”
“The most infuriating thing was that if I ever asked her a direct question about him, she’d clam up and say I was better off not knowing.”
He reaches over to brush a stray curl behind my ear. “Did you ever investigate or gather any leads?”
I raise my shoulders. “Even my birth certificate doesn’t list my father. I once did a DNA test to find some relatives, but it was a scam.”
“How so?”
“They never sent back the results. When I asked for a refund, they offered me a digital copy. The file they sent was corrupted and crashed my computer.”
“Your mother never dropped a hint?”
“She ended her life before I graduated from art school, so she took the secret to her grave.”
Roman’s expression darkens, and he pulls me into a hug. “That’s rough,” he murmurs into my curls. “Did you have to go through that alone?”
“Yeah,” I reply with a long sigh. “It always used to be the two of us. She worked so hard to put food on the table, even though she thought she was being stalked.”
“And she wasn’t?” He pulls back and gazes into my eyes with a frown.
“No.” My shoulders sag. “I can’t even be angry with her because I know she was mentally ill.”
“With what?”
