Page 95 of Unsure in Love

“You mean you didn’t want any of us to talk you out of it,” April said.

I lifted a shoulder in response. She probably knew me better than the others, so she was spot on.

“We grew up without him, Cass. He abandoned us. Why would you want to even see him?” Tessa hissed.

Her vehement response surprised me most of all. Out of the four, I thought she’d be more understanding and forgiving.

“How dare you think you could make that decision for all of us?” April spat. “We're a family, Cass! We're supposed to make these choices together!”

“No,” I said forcefully. “It was my choice because all of you decided to just pretend he never existed. The only one of us who can get away with that is Ruby because she didn’t know him.”

Ruby, who had been staring at the screen with wide eyes, looked down. I felt horrible and immediately wanted to comfort her, but the others were attacking me and I did what I did best, lashing out. “You can't expect me to apologize for wanting answers, for wanting to find out why he abandoned us.”

“Oh, and did he give you a valid reason whilst you had your little chat?” Lucy growled. Her face was flushed and getting redder by the second.

Nic cleared his throat. “Okay, babe, just calm down.” He reached for Lucy, but she pulled away and continued to give me her scathing glare.

“I had a right to talk to him,” I reasoned.

Tessa blew out a breath. “We’re not saying you didn’t. We’re hurt because you kept it a secret from us.”

“Typical Cass,” Lucy snarled. “You always have to be the rebel, don’t you? You get to be selfish—say and do what you want—and to hell with how everyone else feels.”

“You’re being unreasonable,” I defended.

“No, that’s how you’ve always been. You were four when Dad left. Like Ruby, you didn’t know him. You should have left him in the past where he belongs.”

My lower lip quivered. “I’ve done nothing but try to be the strong one to make things easier for you, and you think I’m selfish? It’s so good to know what my big sister has always thought of me.” Dashing away a tear, I spat, “Maybe you’re the selfish one for thinking Dad leaving hurt you more than it hurt the rest of us. So what if I was just a baby? So what if I barely remember him? I felt the pain of abandonment my entire life just like you did, Lucy!”

The silence that followed felt as if it was infused with the many years of unresolved hurt that five women carried since childhood.

Mine and Lucy’s gazes remained locked. The unspoken tension and anger flowed between us. She was just as stubborn as I was, so we could glower at each other all night.

But when she said, “Get out,” my heart splintered to pieces.

Fighting back tears, I snorted. “Really? You’re kicking me out?”

“I can’t even look at you right now.”

There was no holding the tears back now. They streamed down my cheeks as I snatched my handbag and marched to the door. I glanced back and saw Tessa and April hurrying to comfort Lucy. I’d never felt more alone.

“Cass, wait!” I heard Nic call before I closed the door and ran to my car.

Sobbing, I hightailed it out of the driveway. In a matter of minutes, my entire world crumbled. My sisters couldn’t even stand the sight of me.

35

DAMIAN

“You’ve been broodier than usual lately.”

I glanced up from my laptop screen at the sound of Keneti’s voice. It was then I realized everyone else from our meeting had left. Some had stuck around to chat, but I’d tuned them out to look over files my assistant sent.

“I just lost my father. I think I’m allowed to brood for a while,” I said absently, taking another look at the report on my screen.

“True. But your sour mood has nothing to do with that. You’ve been coping pretty well with Luis’s death, that much is clear.”

Stifling an annoyed sigh, I pushed my laptop aside to give Ken my full attention. If I didn’t talk about my feelings—at least a little—he wouldn’t quit. I glowered at the way he sat adjacent to me at the massive boardroom table with his fingers steepled as he studied me closely.

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