Jameson didn’t answer. He studied her, like she was a puzzle he was about to complete.
“Mr. Jameson is an old friend,” Daisy answered for him.
“Oh.” Amelia nodded and let go of his hand. But Jameson’s stayed suspended a beat longer, then dropped.
“How old are you?” he asked, voice steady but also, not.
Mindlessly playing with the hem of her dress, Amelia said, “I’m eight, but I’ll be nine in April.”
And that’s when Daisy saw it—the moment Jameson Kingston’s life changed. The math did itself.
Heat rose off him. She felt his stare but couldn’t meet it.
Her stomach turned. It might have been the worst moment of her life.
With a trembling voice, she told Amelia, “Go ask Auntie Anna for a stuffed mushroom. I got them specially for you.”
“Yum!” She bolted away.
His mouth was open; his hands had curled into fists, but not in anger. His expression was that of a newly enlightened man, one whose eyes had been opened after years of darkness. He looked for validation in her expression, but she gave him nothing.
Not here. Not like this.
Around them, the party kept buzzing, people laughing, sipping, pointing at paintings, while the lives of three people had just been perpetually altered.
He worked his mouth, tried for words, but none came.
“You need to leave,” Daisy said, voice barely above a whisper. “Now.”
He didn’t argue. He didn’t ask. He just stared, then nodded once.
And she turned back into the crowd as if none of their lives had just changed forever.
Chapter Nineteen
NO ONE ADDRESSED IT FORthe rest of the night. Only sad looks were exchanged and soft touches of sympathy were given after Jameson stormed out the back exit. The party carried on like nothing had happened. Her parents left with Amelia shortly after, and Daisy kept circulating, drowning out what had occurred by drinking copious amounts of champagne with Anna and Jean-Luc. By the end of the night, she’d sold multiple pieces and earned praise from past clients and most importantly, the critics in attendance. She stayed until the very end, locked the studio doors, and walked to the curb with the DJ to wait for their cars.
When her driver pulled up, she tossed her bag in the back seat and slid in. She held in her tears as the bright city kept pulsing despite the late hour. At her building, she thanked the driver and rushed upstairs.
Amelia was with her grandparents for the night, leaving their home empty. Daisy had never felt more alone. She barely made it three steps into her apartment before the weight of the night collapsed on her. She sank to the floor, arms wrapped aroundher waist, body shaking with unwanted sobs. She shook her head, as if she could undo the last few hours, but reality had arrived. The secret she’d kept for over nine years had been uncovered by the one person she’d tried hardest to shield it from.
How was she supposed to move forward after this?
Her perfectly curated life had been ripped apart in a matter of seconds.
She didn’t know how long she sat there, bent over on the cool hardwood floor, when keys jingled on the other side of the door. She had no energy to stand, no energy to care for who it was, not even if danger stood on the other side.
At least Amelia has a father now,if I wind up dead, she thought bleakly.
She didn’t think she had anything left until she looked up and saw the familiar face. She quickly lurched into his arms and burst into fresh tears.
“Daisy, what’s going on?” Matt warily asked, dropping his suitcase by the door and wrapping her up. Daisy said nothing and wept into the collar of his shirt. She rarely cried in front of him, maybe during a tragic movie, and even then she’d excuse herself to sob in private, so finding her collapsed on the floor rattled him.
“Honey, are you okay? You’re freaking me out.”
Daisy nodded, pulling back just enough to meet his eyes.
“I’ll be fine,” she murmured, trying to wave him off. “I’m just… happy to see you.”
