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He looks at my mother next. His laugh is short and sharp and cruel. “Does anyone ever think? Do any of you think for a goddamn second before you act? You’re not useless bastards. You’re part of a family.”
Leo and Eva both talk at once.
“Let’s not do this,” Leo says.
“Dad, of course we’re part of the family,” soothes Eva.
My father picks up the knife and stabs it in Leo’s direction.
“None of you think about anything except for yourselves. It’s a fucking disgrace.”
The knife falls into his plate this time. He pushes back from the table and stalks away.
For a second, everything freezes. Just how it would be if someone painted this. A twisted version of the Last Supper. Eva has her hand out, reaching toward our father, like she can comfort him into not being an asshole. Leo’s tense and waiting to tackle him. Lucian has leaned back in his seat and is pretending to be some kind of neutral observer. Elaine’s watching Lucian. Haley’s tucked herself as far as she can into Leo’s side without leaving her chair. My mother is perfectly still. A statue. I’m a statue, too.
Sophia moves first. “This was great,” she says. “I have an event.” She sweeps from the room like a bird in flight.
It breaks the spell over the table. “Eva,” my mother says, poised to ask her a question. Lucian murmurs something to Elaine.
I stand up before I lose my nerve. “I’m going to go talk to him. I’ll be right back.”
Leo’s on his feet in an instant. “Excuse us.”
I don’t hear what my mother says to Eva. I’m headed out of the dining room, Leo by my side. We’re not far down the hall when Eva catches up.
“Daphne, don’t,” Leo says. He doesn’t step into my path, but I can tell he wants to. “He’s not in the mood.”
“He’s never in the mood, is he?” My voice shakes, but I’m not backing down on this. “He has a problem with me, and I’m going to talk to him about it.”
“You should wait.” Eva’s urgent. “Give him a chance to cool off.”
My heart beats harder the closer we get to my father’s office. I’m sick from the pressure. “No. I’m tired of waiting. And hiding. I’m going to talk to him. I’ll be fine.”
“Let us go in with you.” Leo stops a little way down the hall from the office door. “Don’t go in alone. You don’t have to do that.”
“Yes, I do.” I pat his elbow. “Haley’s in the dining room without you. You can stand out here in the hall, if you want, but I think you should be with her. I’ll come back after we’re done talking.”
Leo looks at Eva over my head. His shoulders lift in a small, helpless shrug.
“Just be careful, Daphne.” She’s pale when I turn to her. The two of them have been trying to stop this for a long time. I don’t need that kind of protection anymore. I’ll always need them. I know that. I just don’t need them to stand in front of me. Not for this.
“I’ll be back before you have time to miss me.”
Leo sighs. Eva whispers to him as they go down the hall. “I hate this,” he says, just before they turn the corner.
I go into the office.
My father stands at the window, his hands in his pockets. Without a glass in his hand, he reminds me of Leo. The way they hold their bodies is strikingly similar, if you take the time to notice.
He’s looking out at Bishop’s Landing.
It’s not a small town. Estates for rich people dot rolling hills. It’s only now, with my father silhouetted in the city’s lights, that I realize what he can see from this viewpoint.
The Constantine Compound.
He looks so sad.
That doesn’t fit with what I know about him. He hates the Constantines and everything they stand for. The sorrowful angle of his shoulders doesn’t make any sense.
