“She was out of it by then,” his father said, shaking his head and holding back a laugh. “I was tired. I couldn’t do it anymore. The care and everything else. Nothing was going to stop what was happening. Our marriage was over; she didn’t even realize I was there half the time. And Barry was such a dick to her for years. He had it coming to him to not know what was going on. He didn’t get to say goodbye to his daughter and I didn’t get what should have been hers. We both lost something.”

“You’re a sick monster,” he said. “I can’t believe your mind is that twisted. That you could just lie to her face as much as you have.”

“Sometimes it’s better that people don’t know what is going on,” his father said. His father’s face was red, but his voice wasn’t rising much. “I gave her a great life whether you want to believe it or not. You’re just pissed because she kept all of this from you too. Remember that. She never told you about her father either. I’m not the only one to blame here.”

He didn’t like those words being thrown at him.

His mother could have told him at any point and hadn’t.

“Because you told her lies about her father,” he said. “You made her believe something that wasn’t true.”

His father laughed. “Barry wanted nothing to do with Lauren once she said that she wasn’t going to move back with me. She told her father she wanted nothing of his if he wasn’t going to allow me to have part of it. Your mother was committed to me.”

“That might have been her biggest mistake,” he said. “Committing to you. What I don’t understand is why you’re here now. Why you’ve come to me. You see what I’ve got and you think you’re going to get some of it from me? None of that makes sense. If you wanted it that badly you would have tried to have a relationship with Barry. You would have tried for the sake of Mom.”

“Your grandfather knew I was having affairs,” his father said, shrugging. “He told me that he’d tell your mother. I couldn’t risk a divorce and having her take half of everything I worked for.”

Yet his father thought he was entitled to half of what his mother should have gotten.

“Now we’re getting to the heart of it,” Van said. “That is why you lied about him.”

But he couldn’t understand why Barry didn’t push the issue to get the information to his daughter.

“Your mother was weak like you. She’d believe anything I said.” It was the cocky tone that made him want to deck the man that raised him. “She didn’t want to think she’d made such a mistake and thrown away all of what she could have had.”

“You told her that her father would make things up for her to hate you, didn’t you? So that she wouldn’t believe anything about your affairs?”

His father grinned. “It wasn’t that hard to do.”

None of this was adding up. “Why are you here? Why are you confessing this all to me now?”

“I’m not doing it for me,” his father said, shrugging. “I met someone. We’ve got a kid coming.”

He snorted. “Someone younger than you obviously.”

“It doesn’t matter, but yes. It’s going to be your half-sibling. I want to make sure Brittany and the baby are taken care of when I’m not around. That would be you. You’ve got the money for it. Do the right thing.”

“You’re joking,” he said. “Seriously delusional. I’m going to honor Barry’s wish and make sure nothing of his goes to you or your bastard child. You’re a sick motherfucker playing mind games on everyone in life and if this woman wants to believe what you say, not my problem. You’re going to go back and trash me to her, so do it. It won’t bother me in the least.”

“You know why your mother and Barry never talked again?” his father snarled. It was the first he was actually losing his temper.

“I’m sure you’re going to tell me. And I’m sure you’re going to make it up anyway.”

“No,” his father said. “I’m not. Your grandfather called your mother a whore for sleeping with me before marriage. He was old-fashioned that way. No woman wants to be called a whore. Not when they were a virgin and with someone they loved. Your mother could never forget those words. Ever. It didn’t take much on my end to keep her hating the guy by bringing up that fight during her grief over the loss of her mother.”

“Get the hell out of my house,” he snapped. “Don’t come back. Don’t contact me. Lose my number. I don’t care. I don’t exist to you anymore. You're good at doing that to people, so do it now.”

When his father stormed out of his house Van just stared at the closed door.

He didn’t want to believe anything his father said, but there was too much truth to it.

Barry had said he had regrets and made mistakes. But could that one argument have been the crutch to keep the hatred going for years?

An hour later there was a knock at his door and he wasn’t surprised to see Kelsey there.

“What happened with your father?” she asked.

“How did you know I talked to him?”