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Relief pours over me. So it doesn’t seem like she’s about to tattle to my father or anything. Good. Clara is in my father’s corner, but she also doesn’t want to start a war. She knows if she starts these rumors, the consequences can be fatal. “Noted.”
“I only want what’s best for you.” She pats my hand.
I roll my eyes. I should just slap on a smile and pretend I believe her, but something inside me doesn’t let me. There’s only so much hypocrisy I can take. “Clara… I appreciate your advice, but please, don’t lie.”
“It’s true.”
“I’m being forced to marry a man who’s a known criminal. Don’t tell me you envision a happy ending for me. We’re both smarter than that.”
Clara nods and then sets her tea on the coffee table. “I’ve prayed for your father. I’ve given him my opinion. At the end of the day, I don’t have any sway over his choice.”
“How can you work for him all these years, knowing what kind of man he is?” I ask, wondering if she’d have the chance to leave this life, too. What if she’s scared she’d get hurt if she tried? A pang of empathy niggles at me. “Are you scared to leave?” I ask in a lower voice.
“No.” She sighs. A shade of pink covers her cheeks. Has she even considered the idea of leaving? “I know how it must look. But your father takes care of those he deems important. Yes, he does it his way, and it’s not always legal or appropriate—but it’s real.”
This poor fool. Her standards for character are obviously sinking low. “That’s not enough, Clara.”
A warm emotion moves through her eyes. “My son got in trouble after my husband passed. Drug stuff. I asked, and your father paid for his rehab. If he hadn’t, I don’t know where my Joey would be today.”
A lump forms in my throat, and I don’t know if I still feel sorrow for her or complete disgust. Why does she always find an excuse for my father’s behavior? Is her salary that good? Hell, she could moonlight as his PR person at this point. “Isn’t that a double standard? Being that my father also sells drugs?”
“Again… I’m not saying it’s right. But he also helped me when I was grieving after my husband passed. He’s a good, caring man underneath all that.”
“Okay.” I pat her hand. I don’t need any more examples. She feels some loyalty toward my father, and I can’t change that. I may not agree with it, but I can’t do much about it. A part of me feels sorry for her. Has life given her so little emotionally that whatever support my father gave her was enough?
Matteo walks into the living room, and I quickly look away, perhaps a tad too aware after what Clara said. I hope no one else noticed our chemistry.
“Ready?” Matteo asks me.
“Yes. Thanks for the chat, Clara,” I say and stand.
I follow him out in silence, and it’s not until we’re in his car that I let out a long breath.
“Is everything okay?” he asks after he peels from the driveway.
I draw in a breath, pondering if I should tell him about what I learned. Adding more stress to our situation isn’t ideal, but I can’t hide things from him anymore. Not after telling him I love him. “Clara knows about us.”
“What?” he hisses.
“She thinks I’m sleeping with you to sow my wild oats. She doesn’t know I plan to escape…”Hopefully, with you,I add inwardly. I hinted at that after I told him I loved him, but he needed more time. Also, if he considers making our relationship last… it needs to come from him.
Hell, I’ve already made it clear that I’m head over heels. It’s so obvious even Clara noticed—and she has a distorted vision of reality, as per our recent conversation.
He frowns. “Do you think she’ll say anything?”
“No, she told me as a warning. If she wanted to screw us over, she would have said something to my dad already.”
He slides on his sunglasses. “Good.”
“Where are we going?”
“I’d like you to meet someone.”
“Who?”
“My mother.”
Surprise threads through me. “Your… mother?” The mother whose husband was taken away because of my dad after my mom had an affair with him.
