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Byron would have scoffed at her claim that he was the father. He would have seen this as another evil attempt of hers to break up his marriage. But now, his daughter was living in his own home. The truth was an easy matter to prove nowadays. Three simple blood-tests and Byron would not be able to deny his paternity. Celeste hoped and prayed he wouldn't want to. Not for her sake, but for Gemma's.
Celeste's heart turned over as she thought of her daughter. How lovely she was, and how loving. Gemma deserved everything good in life, which included a father who would open his heart to her and give her all the love and support she needed at this difficult time in her life. She was having a tough enough time as it was with that rotten husband of hers.
Fancy Nathan's deliberately keeping her mother's identity from her when he must have known what it meant to her! Then, on top of that and everything else he'd done, he still had the hide to insist on a divorce
because of her supposed affair with Damian. The man was a raving nutcase! Truly, Gemma was better out of the marriage, a decision she'd thankfully come to herself.
Celeste would never feel happy with her daughter staying married to anyone as unstable and abusive as Nathan had already proven to be. But that didn't mean the girl was happy about the situation. She loved that man so much it was quite depressing. Love like that could be incredibly self- destructive...
'For pity's sake, Celeste,' Byron muttered impatiently. 'Are you going to stay standing in the doorway all afternoon, or are you going to come inside and tell me what this is all about?'
Celeste stared at him. Why do I love you so much, Byron? she asked herself for the umpteenth time. What have you ever done to deserve such undying devotion?
Shaking her head more at herself than him, she brushed past him, moving along the corridor and into the sitting area of the suite. Placing her bag on the large low table between the two sofas, she walked over to briefly admire the harbor view from the window before turning her back on it to face a frustrated looking Byron.
'How about pouring me a whisky?' she said: 'And get yourself one, while you're at it.'
He threw her a disgruntled glare before shrugging and walking over to open the cabinet that housed the mini-bar.
'I take it this is going to be bad news,' he said curtly. 'No doubt something to do with Gemma.'
Celeste caught her breath. 'Why do you say that?'
'A logical deduction. I was the one who dropped her off outside Campbell's after her unsuccessful reconciliation with Nathan this morning. I concluded she must have found in you a sympathetic woman's ear, something that has been very lacking in her life so far.'
He turned and brought the two glasses over, handing her one and lifting his own to his mouth. 'So what's the problem?' he asked after a couple of sips. 'Does she want to live with you at Campbell Court instead of at Belleview?'
'We haven't discussed that yet,' Celeste hedged.
'But it's on the agenda?'
'Maybe .. .'
'I would never feel comfortable with her living under the same roof as Damian, Celeste,' he pronounced pompously. 'I'll advise her against it, most strongly. She'd be safer at Belleview with me and Ava.'
'I'm sure Damian will not be any danger to Gemma ... once I tell him what I'm about to tell you.'
Damian was going to be rocked to his socks when he found out he was Gemma's uncle! But no more than Byron was going to be.
Celeste swallowed. How did one say news like this? Really, there was no other way but to just say it but dear God, her tongue suddenly felt thick in her mouth and a trembling had started up deep inside.
'For pity's sake, Celeste, would you just spit it out?'
Byron growled.
His impatience was just the impetus she needed. 'Gemma is my daughter,' she blurted out.
Celeste knew that for the rest of her life she would never again see such an expression on Byron's face. Stunned did not describe it. Clearly, he was so shocked and astonished that he was rendered speechless.
Or was his goldfish-mouth stare an expression of disbelief?
'It's true,' she insisted, and walked over to snap open her carry-all and draw out the brown envelope. 'Gemma left this with me so that I could show it to you. It's a report from a private investigator. There's a photo too which she found in her father's things after his death. She told me that's what prompted her desire to search for me in the first place and was the main reason she came to Sydney. Anyway, Nathan hired a detective agency on Gemma's behalf some time ago but the bastard told her they hadn't been able to find her mother. Only this morning did he produce this, possibly because he considered such an unforgivable deception would make Gemma agree to a divorce.'
