Page 18 of Black Mark's Heart

We already had access to the car park, so we parked in the basement and walked up the stairs, Sophie complaining about not taking the elevator. When we got to the apartment, Zander knocked at the door. I was surprised when my father opened it.

"Dad?"

"Welcome home, Mora," he half smiled. He'd been very tentative towards me since the wedding, but when I'd informed him I was staying with Sophie rather than return to living with him after the tour finished yesterday, he'd been more cautious. That, and we hadn't spoken since I left six weeks ago.

He held open the door and I walked in. The door entered into the hall near the kitchen, opposite the guest room bedroom door. I walked into the kitchen and looked over the empty lounge and dining area.

Once everyone was inside, Marshall handed me a set of keys and held the other out for Zander. While it was evident he didn't like that Zander was moving in with me, he preferred it to the idea of me living by myself apparently.

"Your keys. The deeds are lodged with the bank. I've had your bed from my place brought over for you and placed in the master bedroom, your cello that Freida bought for you is also in there," Marshall explained. "I figured that if you wanted to stay here tonight, you could."

"Thank you." I frowned at my father, "Why are you here, Dad?"

Marshall swallowed. "The real estate agent you used is a friend of mine. I helped close the deal for you faster."

I looked at my father and took a staying breath. "Zander, could you go with Sophie to her place and get the rest of my things for me please?"

"Sure. We'll pick up pizza for dinner on the way back." Zander gave us a tight smile, and he and Sophie left.

"You took the debt, didn't you?" I asked. "That's why my loan got approved quickly; I wasn't dealing with a bank."

Marshall squared his shoulders. "I caused this, Mora. Yes, had you told Dare who your father was, it would never have happened., but Dare was not a member of the Fehu when you met and I was still recruiting him so, in essence, being my daughter cost you the man you loved. I can't repair that. You've found yourself a new job and you found a new home all without anyone’s help. I'm proud of you, but there is no way a bank was going to loan you the money for this place."

"So, I owe you the money?" I asked unhappily.

"No, you own it outright," Marshall informed. "You were entitled to fifty percent of my business when I died. You declined, and now Alex will take it over entirely. As such, your brother and I agreed he should buy you out of your half and the rest will stay in trust." Marshall looked around the apartment and smiled. "It's a nice first house, Mora. You should be happy here."

"Dad..." I didn't want to put the blame on him. He was right. Had I told Darius from the word go, it would never have happened. In truth, I was completely to blame. Even when Dad asked me outright about Darius and I; I'd denied everything. "Thank you."

I walked through to the lounge room, pulling out the picture of the ultrasound. "I need to tell you something. You aren't going to be happy, and you may even hate me a little because of it."

When I turned around, Marshall stood watching me, his arms folded over his chest. I couldn't help the tears that came to my eyes as I held out the scan. Marshall's brow furrowed. His arms dropped to his side and he took a step forward. He took the scan and looked at it.

"Mora?"

"I'm pregnant. Three months now," I sobbed.

"Three months..." Marshall looked at the scan, surprised, but then the blood drained from his face. "This is Dare's child?"

I nodded. "He doesn't know. I went to tell him the day I found out, but he wouldn't talk to me or see me. Instead, he gave me the signed annulment papers and told me to find someone else." I sucked in a shaking breath, "I couldn't tell him."

"God, Mora." Marshall shook his head. "You need to tell him."

I shook my head. "No, Dad. He told me to get out of his life. I'm not going to tell him, and neither are you."

"Does Zander know?"

"Yes. He found out the night I fell at aerial and was rushed to the hospital. He went and punched Darius in the face."

Marshall frowned hard. "I heard about that. Dare needed plastic surgery to fix the damage." He shook his head. "I have a duty to report this to the brotherhood, Mora."

"Has Jeremy told them?"

"Jeremy knows?"

"He figured it out when Cassandra came to tell you she was pregnant. It's why he offered me the job, to get me out of town so no one would find out," I confessed.

I watched my father look at the scan and struggle with what he went through finding out about me years later. "He deserves to know, Mora."

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