Page 47 of Who's Your Daddy?

The words come out in a harsh whisper because shock seems to have knocked the wind out of him. His breath staggers. His jaw tightens, the vein on the side of his neck ticking with voracity. I’ve only known him for two and a half weeks. During that time, I’ve seen him annoyed and frustrated, and on the day I met him, I saw a tiny smidge of his anger. But this is the first time I’ve ever seen this level of rage.

It’s a stark difference from his usual demeanor. He’s a jovial character, never taking anything too seriously. There’s even an element of humor when he expresses his frustration. But his anger is targeted and controlled, as if he’s making a concerted effort to restrain his reaction.

“I can’t believe he would say something like that to you. I swear to God, if he called you a gold digger, I will—”

“He didn’t,” I say quickly, placing my hand on his forearm to calm him down. “Don’t get mad at Scott. It’s not his fault, and I don’t want to cause a rift in your friendship. He means well. I’m the problem, okay?”

This only infuriates him more. “You’re not a goddamnproblem,” he grinds out, his voice low and acrid. “It took me almost a week to get that shit out of your head, and now he’s gone and put it right back. He had no right to say that to you. Don’t listen to him, okay? He doesn’t know what he’s talking about, so don’t let anything he said upset you.”

“I’m not upset.”

“Li, I know you, and I—”

“But you don’t,” I cut in. “Youdon’tknow me, Peter.”

That statement is a catalyst, fueling his volatile mood. “So, why don’t you enlighten me? Tell me something about yourself.Anything. You’re like an impenetrable steel box that’s impossible to get into. We’ve talked for hours, and I know about five minutes’ worth of personal information.” He crosses his arms over his chest. “I know all your moods. I know all your weird quirks. But you’re right. I don’t know a single thing aboutyou. All you’ve told me is that your parents were amazing while you were growing up, but now you and your dad aren’t on talking terms. That’s it. You’re locked up tighter than fucking Fort Knox. So, why don’t you clue me in on what I don’t know about you?”

Shit! I’ve just opened up a can of worms. That’s all he knows about me, and only fifty percent of it isn’t true. I remember the guilt on Catalina’s face earlier and how she felt like JP deserved better. I feel the same way. Peter had a perfect life before me. He shouldn’t be burdened with me or my past. I’ve decided to go with option three – the coward’s option. Leave quietly, with no explanation.

“That’s not necessary,” I say, my voice small and meek. “You don’t need to know me, and I don’t need to know you. We’re currently caught at an intersection where our paths have crossed. But this is temporary. I’m going to be leaving soon, so investing time in getting to know each other is a futile exercise. It will yield no returns for you, Peter. As an investor, I know you’re capable of making better decisions than that, so don’t bother with me.”

He stares at me for a long time, his Adam’s apple bobbing in his throat as he swallows. It takes but a nanosecond for him to switch off. He becomes cold almost instantly. “Sure, Li.” He shoves his hands into his pockets. “Whatever you say.”

He turns on his heel and walks down the corridor back to the party.

8. Peter

I’ll be the first toadmit this. It’s a stupid idea.

But I’ve been making a lot of stupid decisions lately, so what’s one more? Just like the others, this one is impulsive and not very well thought out, but I do kinda have a plan. And my plan is to stick to the plan. I’m just here to check on her and then I’m going home. Alone.

That’s it. That’s the plan.

Exactly twelve days ago, we left Dylan’s wedding and drove home in silence. That night, Lia stayed downstairs watching TV and didn’t come to bed. The next morning, I woke up to more silence. She made us breakfast, and we ate together, but she didn’t say one word to me.

Scott was still hungover. He called me to drive him to the airport so he could say goodbye to Catalina. Seeing that he was the reason for my shitty morning, I had a few words with him in the car on the way home. I told him to back off and stop harassing Lia. He told me that there’s something weird going on with her and he’ll save hisI-told-you-sofor later. I don’t know why he keeps insisting that she’s trying to use me. Lia is not forthcoming about anything, but the one thing I know for sure is that she’s not using me.

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