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“What’s happened?” I asked.
“Father’s dead.”
My eyes widened in shock. My heart squeezed into a ball, and the sheer force of shock pushed me down onto the sofa.
Theadora grabbed my hand.
“What happened?” My throat constricted by a flood of emotion. I could barely speak.
“He was found unconscious in his apartment.” Ethan headed straight for the whisky and poured us a shot. He gulped his down and then handed me a glass.
“Like a heart attack?” Theadora asked.
“They’re not sure.” Ethan turned to me. “We only just found out this morning. That’s when Luke found Dad’s body.” He bit his lip, and tears streamed down his face.
“I better go to Merivale at once.” I rose, combing through my hair. I wasn’t sure what to do. I held back tears. Unlike my brother, I was stoical when called for. The army trained that into me. My heart, however, shattered into tiny pieces.
“What do you mean Luke found him this morning? Weren’t they together?” I asked.
“Apparently not, according to Luke.”
“But doesn’t Luke live there?”
I released a tight breath, and Theadora came and hugged me. “It’s okay, Declan. I’m sure you’ll learn more soon. I’m so sorry, darling.”
I remained in her arms, and tears finally burst through.
Ethan went and poured himself another drink. “I’m going back now. You should come. Savvie’s absolutely freaking out.”
“I bet she is.” Although Savanah looked up to our mother as a role model, she absolutely adored our father. “What about Mother?”
“You know her. She doesn’t really show much in the way of emotion. A sign of weakness, she says.” He shook his head as he stared down at the floor. His mouth trembled. “Then I’m piss weak because I’m fucking crushed.”
I went to my brother, and we held each other. Sobbing.
We stepped away and took the tissues that Theadora handed us. She took my hand.
“I’m so sorry.”
I held her tight. There was so much going on inside of me that I could barely breathe. But I held on tight to my soulmate because if she hadn’t been there to steady and support me, I would have crumbled, just like Ethan, who held his head in his hands.
“Come on then. Let’s go to Merivale,” I said, placing my arm around my brother’s shoulder.
I held out my hand to Theadora. “Coming?”
Ethan looked at me and Theadora, mystified. I think he expected this to be a family affair. He then noticed my hand and pointed to my finger.
“Is that what I think it is?”
Theadora nodded. “We’re married.”
Ethan’s bloodshot eyes opened slightly. “Oh. Well…”
“Meet your new sister-in-law,” I said.
He went to Theadora and kissed her on the cheek. “Welcome to the family.”
He regarded me with a tight smile. I read my brother well. He knew the shitstorm that awaited me at Merivale and how my mother would react.
It didn’t matter. Only two things mattered—my deep love for my wife and that I get to the bottom of my father’s death. My heart pulled me in two directions: heart-swelling bliss and earth-shattering sadness.
