Page 79 of His Secretly Pregnant Cinderella

“How dare you,” his mother said. “How dare you take this from me.”

And he knew it was time. To hear all of the things that he was certain his parents thought.

“You took Athena from us. You did. You took her. And now Alex’s gone and...”

“And you wish it was me who were dead,” he said. “I know. I have always known.”

His mother’s eyes went wide with horror. “I did not say that.”

“But it is what you feel.”

“No,” she said. “I wish none of my children were dead. I wish none of my children were dead and I... I wish I could go back in time and change whatever I need to change in order to make it so that you... So that you are all okay.”

“That isn’t what you were going to say.”

“No. It isn’t. Because what I was going to say was hideously unfair and I didn’t even mean it. Because I want to be angry at someone, and if you were the one in the grave then it would be Alex that I was yelling at, because I would be yelling at whoever remained. Because it is all bad. It is bad and horrible and nothing but grief, and there is nothing that fixes it.”

“Except having Alex’s children would have fixed it.”

“No,” she said. “They still wouldn’t be Alex. And you... You’re going to be a father.”

“Yes,” he said, gritting his teeth, not certain what the hell he was supposed to make of this new development. Because he had been waiting for the recriminations that had nearly come, but then they had stopped. Because he had been waiting to be told that he was a disgrace, and she had nearly said it. Because it would excuse him. If they blamed him, then it would excuse him from ever having to deal with any of this. Because blame was so much easier than the reality of what he had. Which was loss and fear and guilt. Which were all things he could not control. Blame was focused. Guilt was such an easy thing to keep. It was the other emotions he didn’t want. The other emotions he didn’t want to have a handle on.

“They are your children,” she said. “And you will love them. Even if you don’t want to. Even if it feels dangerous. And I will love them too.”

“Mother...”

“It’s true, Constantine. You will.”

“I don’t want this. I don’t want any of it. I didn’t set out to get his girlfriend pregnant. I never would have... I...”

“Where is she?”

“She’s on the island. I have to keep her safe.”

“So you’ve imprisoned her.”

She was using that same word to describe what he’d done that Morgan had already used.

“I’m keeping her safe. I am doing what I was asked to do, and none of you understand that. You do not...take care of the family business. Just as you did not watch us when we were on the beach.” His mother drew back as if he’d struck her. “Grandfather told me it was my job to be the man. To keep the family together and I have done so. I cannot afford to be distracted.”

His mother looked away, then back at him. “Are you keeping her safe? The family? Or are you keeping yourself safe?”

“Enough. I needed to tell you the truth of the matter. She is my wife and she is my wife in truth. The children are mine. But that is all I came for.”

“Your grandfather was a hard man,” his father said. “I know. He raised me. He was broken by the loss of Athena, and he loved you very much, but he...he was worried. He was worried your experience would make you soft, traumatized, and I was furious at him when I heard him give you that command to be a man when you were only a boy.”

“You were still acting as a boy,” Constantine said, hard. “What was I to do?”

His father’s shoulders slumped. “I have never been the man my father would have wanted. I admire you and your work ethic, Constantine. But surely...surely there must be balance? Perhaps I could have done more. But must you do everything?”

Yes.

“It is not a debate. It is simply what is,” Constantine said.

“Will you go back to her now?” his father asked.

“I will go back to work.”

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