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I sulked. Another person who needed to explain things and eventually apologize to me.
"Yeah, sorry about that. I hope Xavier told you I left?"
"Yes, but sweetheart," he said, his tone coming down a notch, "you shouldn't have left the way you did. You were not in the right frame of mind. What if you had an accident or something. You could've been hurt, and Adrianna,
if anything ever happened to you, my life would be over."
My heart softened for him. He truly felt bad. "I just felt like things would be better if I was gone, so I hit the road. I have a meet coming up anyway, so I could use the extra conditioning. It's not a big deal."
"It's a big deal to me."
A small smile tipped my lips and I climbed out of my truck. Grabbing my bag, I made my way up to my condo while Dad went on to apologize profusely until I had to cut him off.
"Dad, it's okay. It's fine, I'll deal. It all makes sense, really. I just wish I'd known the truth from the beginning."
"That's the other thing…" He trailed off. I had the key in the deadbolt and halted, grabbing my stomach from the sound of those four words, wondering what else he could say that would cause worse damage. "I know I said I never planned on telling you, but that wasn't the whole truth either. I just hadn't planned until you were at least eighteen, maybe twenty-one, and not with so much on your plate."
My shoulders dropped in relief. I quickly unlocked the door and went inside.
"Well, that honestly makes me feel better. I hated the thought of going through my whole life not knowing I'm someone's dirty little secret and constantly questioning why my mother detests me so much. Seriously, Dad, it all makes sense now." I bit my lip. I tried hard not to be sarcastic, but I knew it came out that way.
"Sweetie, you're not a dirty little secret. It breaks my heart to hear you say that. Things were done to protect this family. I hope one day you'll come to understand that."
A tremble racked my body at the reality of my life and what their utmost concerns were. It was a grand spectacle of wealth and power. A who’s who and whatnot. Emotions did not mingle with the formula and were left to be dealt with after, if they ever were.
It was in that moment that I realized I would never treat my children in the same manner. I'd put them first. I'd do everything I could to not be like my parents.
"As usual, appearance is first and foremost for the Rossi family. Everything else comes after." I hesitated, debating whether to ask my next question. "How many people know?"
"Know what?"
"Dad."
He sighed deeply. "Very, very few. We went to great lengths to remain discreet."
And didn't that make me feel grimier than ever.
"Please, I want to know who. I deserve at least that much."
Dad paused long enough that I pulled the phone away to see if we'd been disconnected.
"Just the Herons. No one else. Not even your biological mother's family knew anything."
My lips parted, and I reached for the counter to steady myself. How did they manage to hide it from her family? How old was she? Was she not close to her parents? Did they never see each other?
My stomach churned at all the endless possibilities flying through my mind. I was instantly nauseous and prayed to God that Avery didn't know and purposely kept it from me this whole time. That would seriously be the icing on the cake.
"Which of the Herons know?"
I held my breath.
And waited.
And waited.
And waited.
"If you're asking me if the Heron's children know, they do not. Just Michael and Lily." I exhaled a heavy breath and moved to sit on the couch. Thankfully just the parents knew. Leaning forward, I propped my elbows on my knees and dropped my head into my palm. "No one else will ever know."
