Page 102 of Mine to Ruin

“I am happy for you, you sure deserve it,” his grandfather says while his father strangles his knife. I glance between both men. I will never get used to their family dynamics.

I don’t even know which is worse, the stealth glances his father sends my way that chills my skin, or the odd conversation, the tension growing exponentially with every sentence spoken.

I glance at Brandon, but he savors his pate on bread, oblivious of the tension.

“How did you two spend the day?” she asks.

“We visited her parents on Christmas Eve and stayed the night. We had a lovely Christmas morning, and now here we are.” If it gets any colder in here, we’ll all freeze.

“So serious already?” She eyes Brandon with concern. And yes, something is off with her. I tear off another piece of bread; I’d eat everything on the table just to avoid participating in the conversation.

Kian’s entire body tenses up when his father opens his mouth and points his knife at me.

“At least Kian is not married, but you could ask your aunt what it’s like to be one of the most known mistresses.”

My blood freezes in my veins, and I lift my gaze from my plate, and say, “Excuse me, what did you say?”

Richard throws his head back and laughs, the hyena-like sounds raising the hair on my nape. “You don’t know?”

No, this is not true. A chilled current wraps around me, cutting my air supply. I snap my gaze to Kian.

He shoots up and snarls. “You went too far.”

I stumble getting up, and Kian supports me while my brain refuses to believe it, but deep down I know. I squeeze my eyes shut, shaking my head as Kian caresses my arms, my body shaking. One shock follows the other for when I look in his eyes, they are filled with apology.

He knew.

I open my mouth, but my brain refuses to form coherent sentences, it’s just a jumbled mess.

His grandfather stands up, and even Brandon follows us out of the dining room. His mother lets a yelp out and his father’s body stiffens, realizing his slip. They protect one and torment the other. What kind of sick parenting is this?

Jillian pleads with Brandon, the hurt in her eyes is clear, and she snaps her eyes to Kian and says through gritted teeth, “This is your fault.”

But Kian ignores her jab, instead he grabs my coat. “I am sorry you found out like this.”

My aunt was his grandfather’s mistress. How can a day start so good and end in utter catastrophe? I finally find out why the whole secrecy whenever the subject came up.

“Ellia,” Walter calls out, and I lay my eyes on him, waiting for him to explain. “People put a lot of labels on others, but I have never seen your aunt as such. She was the love of my life. It’s easy to judge from the outside, but the inside of an individual and the complexities of a relationship are hard to grasp. And if you ever want to know more, I am open to questions.”

I call to memory my aunt, her red fierce locks and vivid personality, her smiling face. How did she fit in the life of a man who is the definition of put-together manners? Is this some sick cosmic joke?

Fuming, I yank my hand from Kian. He opens his mouth to protest when I glare at him and point a trembling finger at his chest. “I can’t believe you kept that from me,” I throw at him before I turn on my heels and climb in the car, sighing.

The silence is suffocating, but leave it to Brandon to break it.

“I don’t understand. What was that?” Brandon asks while Walter pats him on the shoulder, and Kian wears a tortured expression. He seeks my eyes, but I face the window, stubbornly avoiding looking at him.

We stop to let them out in front of a Reyes Hotel and I ask, “Another hotel you own?” I tap my foot, restlessness and anger tearing at my composure. I itch to fight, to give a release to the tsunami gathering inside of me.

“I make a living out of owning hotels,” he answers, rubbing his temples.

It’s impossible to fight with him, it’s as if he senses my mood and treads carefully. The driver holds the door open for us.

Kian shakes his head and says, “I changed my mind. Drive us to the airport.” I seek his tormented eyes, and he adds, “I don’t want to be here.”

The driver takes us to the airport while Kian sends a text. He leans his head back and shuts his eyes.

“I knew it would upset you.”

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