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“Okay, I’ll just get right to it,” he said in lieu of a greeting. “We’ve got a fucking mole at the office, and we need to figure out who the fuck it is.”
My barely cobbled-together mood shattered at my feet. “What happened?”
“We’re in the news again. All of us. Mom, Dad, all of us.”
I squeezed my eyes shut. This was the last thing I wanted to hear. Our parents didn’t need to be dragged into the tabloids. They could splash us there, but we wanted to at least spare them. “Ian?”
“Him and a lot more. I don’t know what’s going on here, but I don’t fucking like it. Listen, you and I need to meet privately. And we need to do it outside the office. Where are you?”
“My bedroom. Just come up.”
“Be there in five.”
The phone went dead, and the air solidified in my lungs, making me fight for breath. I didn’t fucking like it. This was a living, breathing, worst-case scenario. And at every turn, it managed to get worse.
How could I commit to someone long-term when my life was this constant hedge maze of bad news?
Jessa had to understand. That’s what I kept telling myself. Maybe not now, but she would someday, when she saw how bad it got. This was for her own good—and mine. I didn’t want to drag her into this muck. And deep down, I knew I didn’t deserve to have such happiness.
You did the right thing drawing the line.
No matter how many times I told myself this, it didn’t feel true.
Axel arrived in the private elevator just as I headed to the kitchen for coffee. The kettle had barely hit the stove when Axel brought out a sheet of paper and his phone.
“Here.” He handed me the phone, where the article was pulled up.Secret Family Splits the Fairchilds.The headline alone made my head spin. Axel pulled out a pen and started scribbling on the paper as I read.
There were inaccuracies, of course. But the article laid out exactly what we were going through. Ian’s appearance in our lives. The secret family. Our father stepping out on our mother.
It was all there in gut-wrenching clarity. Exposed for the entire world to see.
By the time I finished reading, I wanted to puke.
“We gotta call Mom,” I whispered, bringing out my own phone to call her. Axel didn’t protest. The phone rang a few moments later and our mom picked up, sniffling.
“Hi Damian.”
“Hi mom,” I said softly. “Axel’s here with me too. You okay? We just saw the article.”
“Oh, I’m gettin’ by.” She sounded so incredibly weary. “Nice way to find out I’ve been living a lie for the past twenty-some years.”
Axel rubbed at his face, and I winced at her words. “We’re just as surprised as you.”
“More than Trace can say,” Axel muttered.
“What was that, sweets?” Mom asked.
“Nothing, mom.” I shot Axel a death glare. “Listen, what can we do? What’s your plan?”
“I’m leaving,” she said, her voice going watery. A moment later, a sob broke through. “I gotta get out of this house.”
“Go stay at my place,” I told her. “As long as you want. Forever. I don’t care. It’s yours, mom.”
“Thank you, sweets,” she whispered through tears. Part of me was glad I couldn’t see the devastation on her face. It would just hurt so much more to see her reduced and humiliated like this.
“You want us to come out?” Axel asked, his voice cracking.
“You boys have enough to deal with,” she said. “Besides, I don’t want you to hear the words I’ve been using with this man.”
