Page 110 of A Lie so Dangerous and Fragile

“I will see you in the evening? I’ll be up,” he said just as a maid walked past us.

She was smiling so hard, and I knew it wouldn’t be long before everyone in the estate knew about us.

“Okay.”

He walked away while I bit on my lip to stop grinning like an idiot.

29

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Butterflies

Wednesday, I took the twins with me to visit Morris. He was still in the ICU. We hung out for a few minutes with his kids and grandkids at the guest lodge before I took the twins to the park. I’d invited my dad to come over to the park and spend some time with the twins.

I had not spoken to Ciara or my mom in weeks, and I wasn’t planning to even if my mom had been blowing up my phone to allow her to spend time with her grandkids. Tristan was against it, and I wasn’t comfortable with the idea either. Tristan and my mom had this strong animosity between them that you couldn’t leave them in a room alone together for one second without them killing each other.

I took a long draw from my iced latte as I stared at the twins playing a few feet away from where I sat with my dad. It was a bit chilly today, but the blistering sun made up for it. The deep green grass and tall trees housing colorful flowers gave a refreshing sight.

“She is a replica of her father,” Dad said as he watched Kayla run around an oak tree with Gigi, her dog.

“Yeah,” I whispered with a small smile.

“Are you getting back together?” he asked, pinning his gaze on me.

I drank more coffee as if it would make the brewing question disappear.

“Maybe. It’s complicated.” I looked down at the venti cup stained with my lip gloss around the straw.

“Don’t only prioritize the kids’ happiness. Yours is also important. I’m so proud of the woman you’ve become. I wish I had been this brave and fearless when I was your age.” He grabbed my hand and gave it a soft squeeze. “I don’t know how many people would have made it through everything that happened to you. How do you learn to love and trust again—to remain standing? You deserve to put yourself first too. I know I have not been the best father, but I want the best for you.”

“I’m fine,” I told him, giving his hand a squeeze, too, as my lips curved into a genuine smile. “I’m slowly letting go. The weight suffocating me is gone. I’m getting there. It might take a while to heal completely, but I’ll be fine.”

“Are you happy?” He held my gaze as if he could detect any lie from my body movements and the tone of my voice.

I took a glance at the twins, and I felt my lips tilt into a soft smile. I recalled the night with Tristan, and a warmness flowed into my chest. I didn’t know the perfect path from here, but I was content with where I was. The heaviness I used to feel in my chest was gone.

“Yes.” I nodded frantically. “I’m happy.” I could feel the tears gathering in my eyes.

He nodded and looked at the twins. His shoulders relaxed, and a look of satisfaction washed over his face. “Thank you for this. I know our relationship is still rocky and—”

“Dad, please stop,” I said, shifting on the wooden bench to face him.

He looked better than I’d seen him in years.

“I’m not mad at you—anymore,” I said softly to him.

“I made mistakes, and I regret them every day. It haunts me in my sleep. I wish I had been able to protect you from everything that happened. I’m sorry I failed you as a father.”

“Why don’t we cut the whole guilty speech and try to spend some time with the kids?”

“Chloe, I—”

“Dad,” I groaned.

“Okay, I will shut up now.” He grinned.

“Thank you.” I beamed as Kayden ran toward me.

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