Page 14 of Insincerity

I entered the room, and she immediately glanced up at me with a smile that made my throat clench. But her good mood quickly fell, no doubt having picked up on my somber expression.

“Is everything okay?” she asked, sliding a bookmark between the pages of her book.

“For now, yeah.” I sat down on the end of the chaise. “I uh…need to talk to you.”

Hailee sat up straighter, looking as nervous as I felt. “What is it?”

I opened my mouth, then closed it, then opened it again. After too many false starts, I forced myself to take a breath and began to speak.

“Hails, there’s something you don’t know. The footage I’ve taken of you over the years… I’ve been sharing it—all of it.”

The color leached from her cheeks.

“Who have you been sharing it with?”

Just say it. Rip off the Band-Aid.

“I’ve been sharing it with your dad.”

Hailee’s eyes widened. She remained still and silent for a long moment. I braced myself for a well-deserved tirade and then grew anxious when it didn’t come.

“I know I should have told you sooner, but?—”

“Yes, you should have,” she interrupted. “How could you? I mean, why would you…”

Her bottom lip trembled. I reached out to grasp her hands, surprised that she let me hold them despite the pain in her gaze. “I didn’t know how to tell you. First you asked that we not talk about him?—”

“For good reason.”

“I know. I know you’re still upset with him. That’s actually why I installed the cameras.” I ran my thumb over her knuckles. “He missed you, Hails. He wanted to feel like he was still involved in your life, so I came up with the idea to start filming you. Nothing sexual at first, just everyday things. Then, last year, I accidentally sent him one of the moreintimatevideos. He asked for more, so I gave him more.”

Hailee stared at our joined hands for a while without speaking. I could practically see the wheels turning behind her eyes as she realized the full breadth of my betrayal. She inhaled sharply.

“Sweetheart?” I said. “Talk to me.”

She burst into tears.

I slid closer to her before I could stop myself, gathering her against my chest. Wrapping my arms around her, I stroked her hair and rocked her gently.

“I’m so sorry, Hails.” It ripped my fucking heart out to see her in pain. I’d have done anything to make her feel better, but I found myself at a loss. How could the person who’d inflicted the damage be the one to fix it?

Suddenly, she grasped my wrist. I didn’t realize what she wanted from me until she’d already slid my hand into her track pants.

“You want me to touch you?” I asked, confused.

Hailee nodded against my shoulder. I waited a moment, in case she changed her mind, then began gently rubbing her clit. She continued to hide her face in my shirt, but I noticed her hips rocking in time with my circling fingers. I caressed her faster and harder, dipping inside her briefly to wet my fingertips before returning my attention to her clit.

She cried the whole time I fingered her, sobbing as her climax shuddered through her.

I slid my hand out of her pants and resumed holding her for as long as she’d let me. My mind raced with anxious thoughts and unanswered questions. Finally, she wiped her eyes with the backs of her hands and sat upright.

“Tell me what’s going on in that beautiful mind of yours,” I said.

She let out a humorless chuckle. “Beautiful? Hardly. It’s a tangled mess up here.” She tapped her temple. I wanted to kiss her forehead, but I held back, letting her speak. “I feel so fucked-up. I should be disgusted by what you just told me. He’s my dad. But…”

I wiped away a fresh tear as it slid down her cheek.

“But you’re not disgusted?”

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