Page 68 of The Chemistry of Us

“Bullshit,” I spewed.

“I swear to you she knows.”

“And I’m just supposed to believe you?”

“So does my husband.” She added insult to injury, and I couldn’t believe what they were unexpectedly throwing at me.

Before I could give it another thought, my father spit fire. “We’re in love, Vaughan.”

“How long has this been going on?”

“It doesn’t matter.”

“The hell it doesn’t.”

“Why don’t you just tell him everything?”

“What?” I coaxed, hanging on by a thread.

“Stop it,” he stressed, shaking his head.

“Stop what? He deserves to know the truth.”

“Oh God…” I found myself saying. I was seriously going to throw up all over the place. My brain was having a hard time processing all the words they were saying, and what I was seeing with my own two eyes.

Dad reached for Sandra. “I mean it. Don’t?—”

She jerked away from him, a cruel smile spread across her face. “Don’t what? Tell him that you’re not his father!”

“NO!” Mom suddenly screamed from behind me, making us all look back at her. She stood in the door, face pale, hands shaking at her sides.

She pointed a shaky hand at my dad. “How could you do this? How could you do this tome? You said you would never tell him! You promised me he would never know! How could you betray me like this!” she shouted, not moving from the door.

“Betrayal? Oh, come on, you want to start talking about betrayal?” he replied with a bitter laugh. Both of them were lost in their own conversation as my whole world came tumbling down on me.

Tears streamed down her cheeks. “That’s not what happened. I told you?—”

“I don’t believe you! I’ve never believed you! Why do you think I got a DNA test?”

I sat down on the edge of his desk. I had to. Bile was rising in my throat and my body was starting to give out on me.

“I never betrayed you, never.”

“What the fuck is going on? Someone needs to tell me before I lose it,” I murmured loud enough for them to hear.

My mom watched me with an expression that will forever haunt me as if she was collapsing right in front of me.

“Tell him, lie to your son like you have to me.”

I looked at her with pleading eyes, and she bowed her head not being able to… “I…I… I don’t know. I was young. We both were. I’m so ashamed…”

“You’re ashamed while my father cheats on you? What is this? Some sort of open marriage?”

Dad rolled his eyes. “Your mother spreading her legs?—”

I charged him.

Like a rubber band pulled too tight, I snapped, the sting of it fueling my rage.

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