Page 307 of Not Over You

“What?” It’s unfathomable. I glare at Stephi. For years I thought Stephi was angry at me for an affair I never had. Julia and Mimi both told me that Sean’s marriage broke down because of an affair. “I don’t understand how you can be angry with me for not having an affair that would have hurt you and your mom and broken up your family?”

“Because what you did was worse!” Stephi’s shoulders droop with her sigh. “You stayed in LA, you became an actress, and you didn’t even say goodbye.”

“Stephi, I had to stay. And no, I didn’t go back to New York. But that’s because my feelings for your dad, what I wanted, wasn’t fair to your Mom, or to you, and it certainly was not fair to your dad. He chose you and your mom, so I stayed away.”

“You made Dad feel like he was a bad person. Because of you he realized he’d already done something wrong.” Her brows burrow toward her eyes as they study my face. “You don’t understand how you were everywhere for us yet nowhere all at the same time. And then you took Luca away and you… you broke your promises… you never broke your promises.”

“Stephi, is that what this is about?” I take the makeup and brushes from Stephi’s hand, removing her excuse from not answering my next question. “Are you angry at me for leaving New York?”

“Why would I care that you moved away?”

I never thought I’d ever have the patience for Stephi’s child-like petulance. But when she reaches for the pendant around her neck and starts fiddling with a gold cheerleader with red gemstones, I have this strange calm wash over me. I’ve never felt it before, but it makes sense because I’ve just gained a daughter.

“I’d rather you say you don’t want to answer me than lie.”

“That’s rich coming from someone who lies for a living.”

“What do you want from me, Stephi?” I cry out. “I moved away to protect your dad. To protect you. I know I said you could come to visit me whenever you were in LA and take Luca for a walk along the beach, but Sean and I never really got over the affair that never was until last year.”

“When you promised to marry him?” she accuses with disdain. “Yeah, he told me, and I wasn’t happy. But he was. I hadn’t seen him that happy in years. Not since you lived in New York. I was happy, too. Being with you and Dad was like being a family. A proper one. Like the families you see on TV, you know. I loved it when it was just you, me, and Dad. I never understood why it never felt that way when Mom was around. I used to think that she was the problem and that she was the reason everyone was so unhappy, and I used to wish she’d go away. My own mom. I used to wish that you were my mommy because you made dad happy, and mom never did. They just fought all the time.”

I gasp.

“And then I heard mom telling Harvey that she and dad were so happy before you came along. She was crying and she said that it had finally happened. Dad had realized he loved you more than he loved us and he’d finally realized that he wanted to be with you more than he wanted to be with us. He’d left us, for you. Then, he came back without you. And mom was happy for a little while. But Dad was never the same. And it was because of you.”

“Stephi, you were only seven. You can’t possibly understand what was going on back then.”

“I didn’t.” She shakes her head. “But I grew up and things that didn’t make sense to me started to make sense.” She looks down at her hands. “He told me that he never cheated on mom. But he had wanted to cheat. But why should I believe him?”

“Because it’s true.” I sigh, lowering myself back to the stool. “There were these times, though. When he’d look at me and I think that he was going to kiss me, and I’d pray to the cosmos to make it happen. But he never did. Until one day he did and it wasn’t as amazing as I thought it would be.”

Stephi gasps and turns away.

“No!” I grab her hand and tug her to sit beside me on the stool. “Please listen to me, because you’re blaming me, but I’m the one who walked away.” Stephi lifts her eyes to meet my gaze. “I don’t even know how it happened. We were laughing and having fun, like best friends do, when ka-pow! We were no longer friends. I wanted more than he could give me. And then the opportunity came up to stay in LA, so that’s what I did. I walked away because Sean is a good man, and he wouldn’t have been able to live with himself if he cheated on your mom.”

“But you can, can’t you?” Stephi stands up, hands on her hips. “Live with yourself, I mean. Because you cheated on Dad with Justin Ramirez. How could you?”

I look away. What can I say? I can’t tell a fifteen-year-old the truth when Sean doesn’t know the truth. Somehow, my sister and I managed to pull off the ultimate twin switch and no one knew about it. While I recovered from my injuries in privacy, the rest of the world still had the fun, sexy and not so single anymore Krystal Valentina.

I lift my eyes to Stephi and give the only answer I can, “Krystal is just a character. What she does and says is all just an act.”

“You bitch!” Stephi explodes. “You mean everything to my dad! More than me and mom ever have. They all kept saying we weren’t enough, and it was only a matter of time before he followed you—and he did!”

“Who said that?” I demand.

“Everyone!” Stephi cries, “He’s always put you first. He’s doing it now. If you loved him, why would you treat my dad like that? Why would you go off with someone else? And you did it right in front of him! You carried on like he didn’t matter to you. You were on TV, in magazines, you were all loved up with Justin Ramirez and rubbing it in his face.”

“How could you?” Stephi laughed, fully aware she’d found the right button to press. “I know everyone thinks you’re a super-bitch but you’re just nasty.”

I can’t focus. I don’t want to take my temper out on Stephi, but she’s pushing buttons that only Mimi normally pushes. How could Mimi do this? “Stephi, don’t push me.”

“What you did was evil, even for someone as vile as Krystal Valentina!”

“It wasn’t me!” I yell, resisting the urge to leap to my feet.

I’d long to take away the intimidating height advantage Stephi has over me. But I can’t. Even if the pain doing so would be bearable, I don’t have the strength to stand up. Stephi had taken it right from under me with the knowledge of how much Mimi had persistently hurt Sean.

“Don’t you dare start blaming me. You have no idea about what I’ve lived through in the last twelve months. So shut the hell up or I’ll shatter any illusions you have about what a hero your Daddy really is.”

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