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Marina sucked in another shocked breath.
“I know he abused Anna and my mother—his own daughters. And Eugenia, from a young age,” I continued.
“Did you know that Blair and I were friends in elementary school?”
There was something about the way she said it, like a story time was imminent, that made me want to curl into myself. I already knew this story, already knew how it would end. But I had to let her tell it.
“No. I didn’t know that.”
“I came to this house every Friday afternoon to play. It was so different then. So grand. I was only eleven years old the first time Sterling asked to see me alone in his office. I was several years older than Blair, but at school, we were in the same grade and at about the same maturity level.”
“How is that possible?”
Sheryll shrugged. “I didn’t even get to go to school in town until I begged. I was way behind academically and socially. Anyway, Sterling was always very nice to me. At first. He just said he wanted to talk. About his problems, since I struck him as someone who was an excellent listener.”
I closed my eyes, nauseated by how Sterling had managed to manipulate everyone around him. Including me.
“That first meeting, he told me all about how unhappy he was in his marriage. How he had ‘special’ relationships with several young women, including Eugenia and Blair, and how they helped him find his joy. And how he wanted to have a relationship like that with me. I refused, but in the end, it didn’t matter. He raped me anyway.”
I concentrated on my breathing.
“I only came back to Richmond House one other time. Blair and I were still friendly, but we drifted apart after I got pregnant with Jace. I never told her Sterling raped me. And don’t worry, Sterling isn’t Jace’s biological father.”
My exhale sounded like air escaping a balloon.
“But Sterling changed something inside of me. I didn’t care about anything anymore after that experience—I had Jace when I was young. Very young. And I don’t have to tell you that I wasn’t exactly picky when it came to the men I was seeing. Jace’s father was a real piece of shit. I’m glad he’s dead.”
“If you and Blair weren’t friends anymore,” I said, trying to redirect her, “why would you ever come back here?”
She looked around the room as if conjuring a different time and place. “Blair was pregnant and wanted advice from someone who’d gone through with it,” Sheryll said simply. “She was considering an abortion. You know she wasn’t well.”
“She wasn’t,” I agreed, brushing off the news that my mother had thought about aborting me.
“I’d agreed to spend the night. Long story short, I overheard Sterling and Eugenia discussing Anna…well, not discussing, exactly. Eugenia confronted him about their affair and him being Anna’s father, and her not getting the life she was promised. At least not fast enough.”
“What did you do?”
“Look, I’m not proud of what I did. But I was young. I had Jace at home, but I was still so immature. I told your mother. I’m the one who told Blair about Sterling and Eugenia. And Anna.”
“And then she told my grandmother. Who kicked them out of Richmond House.”
“And within a few days, Blair was gone as well. I never saw her again.”
“Sheryll…did my mother tell you who’d gotten her pregnant? Do you know who my father is?”
“I asked her several times that night, but she refused to say. I’m sorry, Greer. I’ve always had my suspicions. I hope to God I’m wrong.”
* * *
Shaken,I walked Marina and Sheryll to the door twenty minutes later. They’d come to try and make things right between Jace and me, but they didn’t understand that if it was an easy fix, we’d have fixed it. Whatever was going on between us was deep-seated. All the way to the bone.
The truth was, he wasn’t going to be able to fix my tendency to try to hide my flaws from the people I wanted to love me, and I wasn’t going to be able to fix his anger issues. Issues that now seemed to encompass both his mother and me. And even Marina. I loved him, but the man needed therapy.
Wade found me in the parlor, deep in thought. He carried a plastic grocery bag full of candy.
“Are you sure you got enough to get you through the flight?” I tried joking, my voice hoarse and my eyes teary.
“It should be enough,” he answered, always completely serious about his candy. “Here. I got this for you.”
