Page 137 of Sincerely, Your Enemy

“M-Mathias?” Daniel whispers.

“Wait, you two know each other?” Lacey questions.

And I do know him.

Or at least, I used to.

How could I ever forget…

…the man who abandoned us?

The words escape my mouth before my brain can interject.

“Hey, Dad.”

Lacey

It’s as though my brain just short-circuited when the words leave his mouth.

Did he just say…

No.

No, there’s no way he just called Daniel dad.

No. Fucking. Way.

I can feel the ground drop from under me when Daniel’s mouth falls open, guilt bleeding through his crumbling façade. It only takes an instant. Memories of the moment TJ told me about his father slam into me like a freight train.

It was the night after Sierra and I almost got kidnapped. We were lying in bed, still in shock over the hell we’d endured, and against all odds, TJ let slip that he’d been looking for his biological father.

TJ’s voice returns to me, echoing in the back of my head.

“I’ve spent my entire life wondering why he abandoned us. Was it another woman? Another family?”

Nothing could’ve prepared me for the emotional tidal wave wrapping me up when I piece it all together.

TJ found out that Daniel was my stepdad somehow. He knew who I was when he asked me to tutor him. HeknewI’d been raised by his father since I was seven years old.

My mom was the other woman.

That’swhy he inserted himself into my life—hell, it’s probably the only reason he even talked or looked at me.

“You blame me.” The truth slips from my mouth, coming out as a trembling whisper.

TJ’s eyes are full of tears, and his jaw is clenched so tight just looking at himhurts. I can tell I’m spot-on by the way he squeezes his eyes shut and breathes out through his nose, as if to keep himself in check.

My throat aches so much I can barely speak. “You think my mom and I ruined your life because we took your father away. You hate us for it, don’t you?”

TJ opens his bloodshot eyes and pins me with a look so heart-wrenching I nearly flinch and tear my gaze away.

Then he chokes out, “I did.”

I knew I was right, but somehow, hearing him confirm it only drives the knife deeper into my chest.

“I hated you…” He swallows hard. “…because I couldn’t accept that he chose you over us. I was a fucking idiot, Lace, so blinded by hatred I didn’t even stop to think that maybe…” His eyes dart to Daniel. “I was blaming the wrong person.”

I can’t make a sound. I can barely move a muscle. All I can do is watch TJ rip apart what’s left of my heart and curse the day I was stupid enough to entrust him with it.

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