Total pages in book: 128
Estimated words: 126850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 634(@200wpm)___ 507(@250wpm)___ 423(@300wpm)
“How could they both be right?”
“Your father wasn’t against you knowing but didn’t believe it was the right time. You were away at some dance show when your mother took a turn for the worse. We knew she was nearing the end, and he refused to have your last memories of her be tainted with the truth.”
I looked down at the table.
“He drove all night to bring you back to make sure you could say goodbye. We had two days with her before she went, and it was only after he promised to tell you the truth one day.”
“He never did.”
“No. He loved her too much to have her take any blame for their marriage ending. He was happy to be the villain of the story. As he told me once, you didn’t have as many memories with your mum as you should have—there was no need to taint the ones you did have.” She smiled sadly. “I didn’t argue. You can’t with the truth, after all.”
“So why are you telling me now?”
“Because you’re letting their relationship dictate your own life, when you don’t know the half of it. From your side, your father left you both to have a happier family with a son, someone he could pass the title down to. I know you don’t want that life, Gracie, but it’s not as cut and dry as you thought it was. He never would have left her if he could, and I wholeheartedly believe that if Harriet had survived the cancer a second time, he’d have divorced Carmen and remarried your mother.”
“What on Earth makes you think that?”
“He told me.” Her smile was mischievous. “He told Carmen once, too. He only married her because the baby was a boy. Had it been a girl, he never would have left your mother. Even then, he only did it because Harri made him.”
“No wonder Carmen hates me so much. Does Dad even like her?”
Now, her eyes sparkled. “I’m sure he has love for her now, but neither of them married the other for love. I wouldn’t describe their marriage as happy, would you?”
“I wouldn’t know. I… I guess I don’t spend enough time with him to know either way.”
“And that’s not your fault,” Granny said, patting my knee. “Your father will be furious with me for telling you the truth, but I don’t care. William is a nice boy.”
“He’s almost thirty.”
“And until he’s the same age as me, he’s a boy,” she shot back. “You have a history as children, and if nothing else, a connection to your mother through Katie. Do not cut them off because of decisions other people made.”
I stared at her. “Why do you care so much?”
“Because I couldn’t talk your mother out of making a bad decision that broke her heart,” she said, squeezing my knee. “But I can with you.”
“What if I decide not to see him again and that’s not a bad decision?”
“If you truly believed that never speaking to him again was the right thing to do, you wouldn’t have asked me that, would you?”
I swallowed, fidgeting with my own fingers. “I think I need to talk to Dad about this.”
“I agree. And if he wants to talk to me, do me a favour and tell him my plane crashed. I’m not in the mood for his bitching today.”
My lips tugged to one side. “Will do, Granny. Will do.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE – GRACE
Home Truths
The ringing of his phone was like an alarm filling my car, and my head pounded while each little ‘brr’ did its thing until they finally stopped, and the ringing turned to, “Grace?”
“Dad. Are you at home?” I asked, grateful not to hear that horribly repetitive noise anymore.
“Yes. What’s wrong? You’ve called three times.”
“I’m aware. You should try answering your phone once in a while,” I replied dryly. “I’m five minutes away. Is anyone else there?”
“No. Vincent is at college, and Carmen is at the hospital with her mother. Why?”
“Oh. Is Sandy all right?”
“Yes, just a routine appointment with the cardiologist for her angina. Why are you on your way here?”
“Can’t a girl drop in to see her dad?” I asked innocently.
“No, not when that girl is you. You haven’t done that in… ever.”
“Fine, okay, I just need to talk to you about something. Do you have time?”
“I always have time for you, Gracie. And if you’ve called me three times and are already practically here, then yes, I definitely have the time.”
“Okay. I’ll see you in a few.” I reached over and hit the ‘end call’ button on the radio screen and took a deep breath.
My mind was reeling from everything Grandma had just told me. How could it be true? There was no way Mum would have done those things. She had no reason to lie to me and even less reason to stick up for my father, but none of it fitted with what I knew of my mum.