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“Then I told my wife and daughter to get their shit together. Caitlyn gave up her chance to be close to family. It was time things smoothed out. Once again, still had my balls.” He turns back to the room, angled toward me.
“Whatever you say. There a point to all this reminiscing?”
“In college, when Isaac came into our lives, the way he looked at Caitlyn spoke volumes. He had his sights on a future with her.”
“Wrong thing to say,” I grumble. “Storytime is over.”
“I wasn’t as stupid or blind as you may think. Isaac’s infidelity and Natasha’s disloyalty burned in my blood. It went against everything in me to stay quiet,” he continues.
“Yet, you did, giving Poppy a weak apology with no action behind it.”
“You’re wrong. There was a lot of action behind it. Being a man, I knew why Isaac strayed. It was poor taste to jump into Natasha’s bed, but the temptation was obvious.”
“You stood by and let it happen, knowing what Natasha was doing.” Blistering anger claws at my skin. “You could have stopped it.”
“I could have intervened, but that would have defeated the purpose. Isaac was already living a life of temptation, and it was about to get worse. How he handled it would define his character. He fucked up, made a poor choice, but in doing so proved he was not, and never would be, good enough for Caitlyn. It took an inordinate amount of restraint to hold myself back when Caitlyn became aware of the betrayal.”
“Unbelievable. How can you call that action?”
“It gave me insight into what was happening. My wife played me in ways you can’t imagine, my oldest was still manipulating, and my youngest was pure as gold. The only innocent person in that scenario was hurting and didn’t deserve any of the bullshit.”
He tosses back the rest of his gin without flinching. “The Senate run was underway, my life was transforming. I thought about getting out but was in too deep. Donor support had been cast, money was exchanged, and agendas were set. What began as a quest to represent the people of my state was tearing apart my family. I protected Caitlyn by letting her go, but not for the reasons she thinks. It was because she was too beautiful and deserving to be a part of the shitstorm brewing.”
“You’re such a fucking liar. You stand there, enjoying a hundred-dollar bottle of liquor, reflecting on your daughter like you have a right.” Dante’s voice is harsh. “Who offers their daughter an ultimatum?”
“I am an asshole, a son-of-a-bitch, and a lot of other things. But a liar isn’t one of them. One look at my daughter that day in her barren apartment and the fighter was in place. You call it an ultimatum; I saw it as giving her freedom. It wasn’t supposed to be permanent. We didn’t get far down the road before I rethought my decision. One thing stopped me from turning around. Knowing Caitlyn was chasing her dreams and starting her life free of the pressure from her mother and sister.”
“Karen found her and offered mental help. While you were greasing palms, kissing babies, and enjoying the lavish lifestyle, Poppy was busting her ass for four-hundred dollars a week and sharing a studio apartment. There are days we ate nothing but bagged salad. Never once did she complain.”
I look over at Dante, my chest tightening with this knowledge. Poppy never shared any struggle.
“I owe you a great debt for taking care of her all those years. Ryanne, too. Like I mentioned, these last few days have brought a lot of information to light,” Marco tells him.
“You had no right to look into us.”
“Are you saying you wouldn’t have done the same thing? Looking into me?”
Dante casts a glance my way, pressing his lips tight. We’re all guilty of looking into the people in Poppy’s life.
“Not sure what your search turned up, but I’ve always known where Poppy was. Staying away was excruciating, but it was to protect her. Karen and Natasha vowed to leave her alone, and that was enough to keep my distance.”
This confirms Scottie’s information. “You set up the PO Box in California to hide Poppy’s real whereabouts?”
“One good thing about my position is the power behind my office. Sunday night, after discovering my wife has been feeding me nothing but lies about leaving Caitlyn alone, I took back control.”
“Yeah, you look like the poster model for control right about now. Shooting back liquor at dawn, looking like a hobo,” Dante throws at him.
Marco grins, a flint of humor passing in his eyes. “Please excuse my appearance, two straight days of decimating my career, ending a thirty-one-year marriage, and terminating my daughter from my staff has left me little time to rest.”
“Why are you still here, Marco?” I ask bluntly. “Your life is across the country.”
