“No, no, Joe’s happy entertaining everyone by himself,” Remy said, oblivious to Meredith’s feelings. “What’s up?”

“It’s nothing. I shouldn’t have bothered you. I’ll let you go.” Meredith went to hang up when Remy called out.

“Mer, it’s obviously not nothing. You’re calling me in the middle of the night.”

Meredith looked at the clock on the microwave. She got straight to the point. “Dad dropped off an envelope today.”

“Okay…?” Remy asked.

“My real father died,” Meredith said. “His attorney has been trying to contact me to give me his assets.”

“Your dad died?”

“No, Jacob O’Neill died,” she corrected her sister.

“Oh, Meredith. I’m so sorry. When did you find out?”

“Tonight. Dad told me.” Meredith picked at the corner of the envelope with her thumb. “A lawyer dropped off paperwork at his house.”

“How did he die?” Remy asked.

“A stroke,” Meredith said.

“And he left something for you?” Remy asked.

“I guess so,” Meredith said, staring at the envelope.

“But you don’t know what he left you?” Remy sounded surprised by this.

“No, I haven’t read the papers. I think I need to meet with the attorney,” Meredith replied.

Remy was Gordon’s first biological child and his “baby girl.” Even though Gordon had always treated Meredith like his own and she knew no other man as her father, something had always made her feel just slightly different.

She was his “sugarplum” and Remy was his “baby girl” and no matter how she rationalized their nicknames, Meredith could not stop that little part of her from thinking he loved Remy more because she was his own.

She wanted to pick up the phone and call her mom, but the stabbing realization that she couldn’t pierced her heart.

“Do you want me to come with you to meet his attorney?” Remy asked. “I could bring ours.”

She wanted Phillip by her side. Not her younger sister’s attorney. “Thanks for the offer, but I’ll be fine.”

“I can drive up from the city in no time,” her sister said. Then she heard a deep voice in the background. Joe said something that made her laugh.

“No, you don’t have to do that,” Meredith said.

“Are you going to be okay?” Remy asked.

She could feel her throat tightening up. “Yeah, I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“Love you, Meredith.”

“Yeah, you, too.”

There was only one other person Meredith wanted to call and talk to about this. But he was probably busy holding his new daughter in his arms like he had with all three of their children while she had rested, making her think he was a knight in shining armor. Not the one person who would hurt her the worst. Or had that been Jacob?

She grabbed her computer, and as soon as she opened a browser, she started with his name in the search bar.

Jacob O’Neill.