Page 127 of Lies Like Love

Dad circles the room, to the bar in the corner, helping himself to Grandfather’s scotch. And I remember for the first time since Dad showed up behind me, that they’re still in the room. But while Grandmother looks nervous, Grandfather is unaffected.

They knew he was alive all along.

“After a few of my business ventures dried up, your mother and I had to think long term. My bridges were burned, so the only option was to go underground for the time being.”

“You mean play dead,” Jude corrects him.

Amusement warms Dad’s dark gaze. He allowed his own daughter to believe he was dead to settle his bad debts, and there’s not a hint of regret in his eyes.

“It was the cleanest break.” Dad takes a drink, before setting his glass down and refilling it. “Besides, it allowed your mother to look for other business opportunities.”

“My family’s money.” Jude’s jaw clenches, and I’m not sure if it’s a result of the harsh way my father talks about our parents’ marriage like a business transaction, or the reminder of his father’s blood-stained money.

“Your father understood the terms.” Dad perches himself on a barstool, too relaxed for the intensity of this conversation, and it makes me want to scream. “Steve and I met in college. We go back years.”

He tips his glass at me, and my spine stiffens in the realization. Jude must sense it because he leans close enough to take my hand.

“He was into tech while I was good with people. He built things, and I sold them. The two of us had the potential to corner the market had it not been for his vices.” Dad’s eyes skip to Jude. “Like your mother.”

Jude’s grip on my hand tightens, and I flatten my palm over his, holding him in place as best I can.

“What about my mother?”

“Don’t worry, we made sure she had what she needed, so long as she stayed away and kept her mouth shut.” His eyebrows lift as he takes another sip of his drink. “We took the burden off her hands. Let her live her life. After all, she wasn’t ready to be a mother.”

“Because she wasfifteen.” The words almost choke in Jude’s throat. “It was rape.”

My hands are barely enough to hold Jude back, not that he’s moving physically. It’s his rage, barely contained. The sick truth he shared with me on the beach. He’s a product of the crime his father committed, and it lives inside him as a broken shard years can’t heal.

“Unfortunately.” Dad’s lack of sympathy is piercing. An absence of understanding. He’s as hollow and evil as they come.

“After thatincident…” Dad takes another drink, standing and slowly circling the room, “Steve needed to create some distance. He moved to Washington, while I came to LA, and that’s where I met Abigail.”

The tension that ripples the air is palpable.

“When my investments tanked, Abigail and I set our plan into motion for the insurance money. But it ran out faster than anticipated, so I had to call in a favor.”

Favor.

The word is hanging in the air when realization strikes me. Jude moving to LA, me meeting him in the library—we aren’t the reason our parents met. They’re what brought us together.

“Abigail and Steve both understood the terms. I’d supply him with my LA connections, and he’d ensure my family was provided for. To be fair, I thought his sickness was specific to your mother.” He points at Jude. “Fel was never meant to be involved.”

“When you found out you could have stopped it.” It’s a stupid thing to say to a man with no morals, but I do because I’m haunted by the memories of a man he never really was. And I can’t help wishing he was the one in front of me now.

“So says you and your mother.” He shakes his head.

I take a step forward, but Jude’s shoulder blocks me. He doesn’t trust my father, and I don’t blame him. So I cling to Jude’s arm and hope it’s enough to keep me level.

“But she went along with it.”

“She did.” Dad nods, clucking his tongue once. “For the most part.”

“What’s that supposed to mean?”

My father ignores my tone, taking another sip of his drink. “The three of us had an understanding. While the original arrangement didn’t involve you, sacrifices had to be made on all sides. Your mother understood enough to play her part, until Jude caught on.”

Dad stops circling the room, pausing directly across from Jude.

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