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I square my shoulders and draw a deep breath before entering Antonio’s office, which is right beside the room where Lara has been staying since she got a needle stuck in her foot. He’s been sleeping in it lately, too, to stay close to Lara and me.
As I approach his desk, he lifts his head. Our eyes meet.
“Is something wrong with Lara?” Antonio asks.
Yes, something is wrong with Lara. She’s not my daughter.
I want to blurt out those words, but just as I thought, I lack the courage.
Not yet. Not like that. I’m going to break it to him slowly and carefully. I have a script in my head, actually, and I’ve rehearsed, but I seem to forget all my lines as I stare at Antonio.
His hair is a bit of a mess just like mine. He hasn’t shaved since the day before our wedding, so he has a thin coat of hair along the edges of his face. The top two buttons of his shirt are undone, giving me a glimpse of his chest. The sleeves are rolled up past his elbows so I can nearly see his biceps.
I almost lick my lips. Is there anything Antonio doesn’t look good in?
I suddenly have an urge to climb onto his lap and kiss him. Or maybe crawl under his desk, kneel between his legs and take his thick cock inside my mouth.
Damn it. Why do I want him so badly? Is this the result of not having sex with him for five days?
Suddenly, I have an idea. He always seems to be in a good mood after sex. Maybe that’s when I should tell him. Maybe I should seduce him first. Now seems to be a good time, too, since we’re alone and Lara has just fallen asleep. We have at least three hours.
“Triss?”
“Nothing’s wrong,” I answer as I go on my knees.
I crawl beneath Antonio’s desk and find myself in front of his chair. He pushes it back to give me room and gives me a puzzled look.
“What are you doing?”
“This.”
As I grasp his belt buckle, I plant a kiss on his crotch. I undo his belt, then the button of his pants. I take the zipper between my teeth and am about to pull it down when I hear a voice.
“Antonio.”
I let go of the zipper and freeze. I recognize that voice. It’s Maggie’s.
When did she get back in town? And what is she doing here so late?
“Maggie,” Antonio acknowledges as he straightens up in his chair.
Well, this is awkward.
“Is Triss here?” Maggie asks.
I realize she can’t see me since Antonio’s desk is facing the wall that separates his office from the treatment room and Maggie must have come from the living room.
What do I do? Stand up and make myself known?
“Why?” Antonio asks her.
“I have something to tell you,” Maggie says.
I hear her walk towards Antonio’s desk. I hold my breath as I feel her standing behind me.
“What?” Antonio asks.
“Triss is hiding something from you,” Maggie discloses.
What? Wait. Don’t tell me she’s figured out my secret.
Antonio remains calm. “If you’re referring to her past, I already know it.”
“I’m referring to the present,” Maggie says.
A bad feeling prickles my neck. No.
“I’m referring to the fact that she’s not who she says she is.”
“What do you mean?”
“Lara isn’t her daughter,” Maggie tells Antonio.
My chest tightens. No way.
“I don’t understand what you’re trying to say,” Antonio replies. “You have to explain it to me clearly.”
“The day I saw Triss, the day she came to Summerset, she was carrying Lara. I bumped into her at the bus stop and I asked her if Lara was her baby. She said no.”
Antonio lets out a breath. “We’ve already talked about this. You and Triss must have had a misunderstanding.”
“That’s what I thought, too,” Maggie says. “But I just couldn’t shrug off my suspicions when I was last here. That’s why I got a strand of Lara’s hair.”
She did?
“And the plastic spoon that Triss used. You see, one of my friends has a roommate who works at a laboratory that does DNA tests. I asked her to check if the two DNA samples were similar. They’re not. Not even close.”
I clasp my hand over my mouth to prevent a cry as I wait for the final blow.
“Triss isn’t Lara’s mother.”
Chapter Sixteen
Antonio
I don’t believe it.
As Maggie leaves my office, I remain silent. My head spins from her words.
Triss isn’t Lara’s mother? But why would she lie?
There’s only one way to find out.
As soon as Maggie’s gone, Triss emerges from beneath my desk and stands in front of me. The dejected expression on her face tells me that Maggie was telling the truth, but I want to hear it from her.
“Is Lara your daughter?” I ask her bluntly.
No need to beat around the bush.
She shakes her head slowly. “No.”
