Page 108 of Empire of Ache & Ruin

“Let’s give them a minute to settle him in, then we’ll ask what’s going on?” He ushers me inside to a waiting room and lowers me onto a chair.

I stare at his black leather shoes until they move out of my line of sight. He doesn’t say it, but I know he’s out there bossing people around, making sure Dad is getting the proper care. As much as Archer hates Dad, he’s here helping because of me. And that fills my heart with so much love.

“Hey.” Archer sits on his ankles, cocking his head to look at me. “This isn’t on you. Do you understand?”

“I should’ve been there with him. Hunter told me he wasn’t doing well.” I glance down at my hands, but I don’t miss the way Archer winces at the mention of Hunter’s name.

“I think he collapsed due to stress.” Archer covers my hands with his. “Nothing to do with you.”

“Stress?” I look up at him. “From work.”

He furrows his brows. I can’t tell what he’s thinking, but his hesitation makes my stomach drop. What could be so bad at work to cause Dad to practically have a heart attack?

“Tell me what happened.” I sit up straight so he can see that I can handle whatever news.

“There’s a fraud investigation underway that shows the Senator has been misappropriating campaign funds.” He speaks slowly as he watches my reaction. When I don’t lose my shit, he continues. “He’s going to have to go before the ethics committee. But the party wants him to drop out of the race and resign before it gets to that.”

“Oh my God.” I place my hand over my mouth. “What about the money you gave him? Wouldn’t that make them even? What does it matter if he took the money? He put it back.”

“Putting the money back doesn’t erase the fact that he misused the funds,” he says without judgment in his tone.

“How did the ethics committee even find out?” I ask.

“Paloma.” He sits next to me and hugs me to him. “Let’s talk about this when we get home. This isn’t the right time.”

“I want to see him.” I rise to my feet.

“Alright. Give me a sec.” He ambles to the nurses’ station. When he returns, he offers me his hand. “Come on, they’re taking him to a private suite now.”

“That was fast.” I smile at him.

Dad’s room has a beautiful view of the city with twinkling lights in the distance. When I walk in, he’s staring intently out the window from his upright bed. The color on his cheeks is back, but so is the contempt in his eyes.

“Daddy?” I amble around the bed and into his line of sight. “How are you feeling?”

“Like I’ve aged a decade in a day.” He adjusts his head on the pillow to look at the ceiling instead of me. “Why are you here? Shouldn’t you be with your husband?”

“Archer is here.” I point toward the hallway. “We were so worried about you.”

“My time hasn’t come just yet, Paloma.” He scoffs. “I just need to rest.”

“Do you mind if I stay with you? Keep you company?” I cover his hand with mine. He doesn’t remove it, but he doesn’t hold it either, like he used to. “Did the doctor say when you can go home?”

“Morning.” He nods. “You should go home to your husband.” His tone is bitter and reproachful. “I have a lot of work to tend to in the morning.”

“Archer told me about the ethics…” The words die on my lips when Dad glares at me in anger.

“What does Archer know about the ethics committee?” His cheeks turn bright red.

“Nothing, Daddy.” I step closer to the bed. “He said you had a lot of stress at work. That’s all.”

“Someone betrayed me.” He purses his lips. “Divulged classified information. And now they want me to resign.” His gaze shifts from my face down to my feet, then up again. “I gave you up, and it was all for nothing. You became his whore. And I’m still going to lose my seat.”

His whore? Is that how he sees me?

“Daddy.” I shake my head. “You don’t mean that.”

“Don’t think I don’t notice how you look at him.” He shoots me a lewd glance. “Just like her. At the first chance you got, you had to show your true colors, letting him put his hands all over you.”

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