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My mother said it so casually, like she was talking about the weather.
I stared at her in silence for a moment. Not only had I just been told that my father was in fact not my father, but I was also told that my real father was dead.
Numb. That’s what I felt. I felt like I was there, but I wasn’t really there. There was so much going on in my head that I couldn’t keep a straight thought longer than 5 seconds.
I grabbed the envelope and stood from my seat. I left the table and walked straight out of my parents' home.
You would have thought that as normal loving parents they would have tried to stop me. They would have called after me and tried to explain why they had just flipped my world upside down with one sentence.
Sadly, that was not who Fiona and Richard Vandlewoods were. They were not caring or loving. They were two of New York’s finest entrepreneurs. They had taken the construction world by storm. To anyone who read about them from the tabloids, they were the power couple who had everyone's ideal life.
To me, they were simply people who didn’t give a shit.
Present day
I finally came to a stop by my driveway. I doubled over and placed my hands on my knees trying to catch my breath.
I had run longer than intended but that happened when I had too much shit on my mind. Running was better than therapy for me. So, it was no surprise I was so fit. I had a lot of baggage that I needed unpacking which meant I ran a lot.
I walked up the driveway to the front door. It just so happened to be my luck that my front door was flung open to reveal a face I didn’t want to see.
“Good morning, stink bug.” Marcus Anderson grinned at me.
It was only 7:15 in the morning. Way too early to be dealing with his nonsense.
“What do you want Marcus?” I grumbled as I pushed past him. “It’s too early for your dumb ass.”
“You wound me, stink bug.” He closed the door behind me and followed me into the kitchen.
Marcus Anderson had been my personal tormenter in grade school. He had made it his life’s mission to pick on me from day one. He would steal my crayons and hide my lunch bag at recess. Back then, I had taken it because the world hadn’t made me jaded yet.
Now, I was a different woman. When he pushed, I pushed back harder. Sometimes a little too hard, but I knew Marcus could handle it.
I opened the fridge and took out the protein shake I had made before my run. I then turned to find Marcus sitting by my kitchen island, looking too comfortable.
I scowled at him. “Get out.”
He shook his head. “No can do. I’m staying right here.”
“Why?”
“Because Lily and Ethan are having early morning sex, and I think they forgot I stayed over. I don’t want to hear my best friend and his pregnant girlfriend clapping nasties.”
I scrunched my nose. I was happy for Lily but, ever since she had become pregnant, the woman had been insatiable. Last week, I had walked in on them having sex on the couch in the living room. I had to get someone to come in and disinfect the whole area. True story.
I rolled my eyes and started for the stairs while sipping on my shake.
“Where are you going?”
“To shower.”
A smirk found its way to his lips. “Can I join?”
“Not even if the world depended on it.” I flipped him the bird and continued up the stairs to my room.
“I know you want me, stink bug.”
“Fucking hell,” I grumbled, as I slammed the door and got ready for my day.
