VICTOR

The following day, after Gideon found both Diana and I standing awkwardly outside of our new bedrooms, he showed us to their dining room as he made us all some breakfast to eat.

Currently, we’re all sitting around the table as we each finish eating.

“I need to use the toilet, is there one on this floor?” My sister asks Gideon as he nods, pointing her in the direction of the toilet.

As Diana steps away from the table, I sneak another look at Gideon from under my lashes. His hair is still a little messier than usual since we’ve all only just woken up, and the first few buttons of his shirt are undone. He looks so casual like this–definitely not like the client I’ve been with, and the man I’ve been on a date with.

The things I’d do to wake up beside him.

“Careful now, sweetness, or you’ll be drooling all over your plate.”

Shit, I’ve been caught!

I can already feel the blush rising to my face.

Clearing my throat, I speak.

“You look good like this–it would be hard not to stare.”

Gideon takes a sip of his orange juice before he puts the glass down on the table and replies.

“Don’t I always? And don’t you always?”

There’s a smile on his face, and there’s one on mine too. We continue teasing each other back and forth like that for a few more minutes until movement behind him catches my eyes.

“Holy. Fucking. Hell,” I breathe out as I look at the two people who’ve stumbled in through Gideon’s door.

The man, I don’t really care about, but the woman…

She’s Diana.

An older version of my sister walking through the door.

This must be Lyra.

My sister’s sister.

Gideon’s daughter.

Gideon turns around and as he spots the two, he stands up and begins walking in their direction.

The woman–Lyra–runs before she jumps into Gideon’s arms as she throws her arms around him.

“Daddy!” She squeals out as he hugs her fiercely, holding her close to his body.

Behind the two, the man’s eyes catch mine before he looks at the three plates set out on the dining table. There’s a small frown on his face, and as he turns to look over at Gideon, Diana steps back into the room.

I watch Gideon’s entire body tense when he spots Diana in the room with us, and as Lyra takes a step backwards to look at her father, Diana’s wide eyes dart to mine.

“Daddy, what’s wrong?” Lyra breathes out.

From this angle, she sees me, and takes some more steps backwards.

“Lyra, I need to tell you–” He’s barely able to get anything else out because as she turns around to face her husband, she spots my sister.

Shit.

At the exact same moment, Gideon steps forwards as he places his hand on her arm.

“Please let me explain, pumpkin. We need to talk.”

She shrugs him off as she keeps her face hidden in her husband’s chest.

Diana simply stares at me with pink high in her cheeks. She and I are definitely the outsiders here.

“I-I’ll be back later. I need some time to think.” Lyra takes her husband’s hand and together, after Diana gives them some space to move, the two of them step out of the room.

My sister looks between Gideon and I, but he’s facing away from me and over at the floor. It feels like forever before any of us open our mouths to speak.

“Excuse me,” Gideon finally says as he clears his throat and walks away from the room, leaving Diana and I all alone.

My sister steps closer to me as she shrugs and wraps her arms around her middle.

“I didn’t know they were here. I wouldn’t have stepped in if I’d known they were here.”

I shake my head as I stand up and step closer to her.

“It’s not your fault, Diana. If Gideon didn’t know about you, I’m sure that his daughter wouldn’t have either. Come on, let’s tidy up then we’ll go upstairs.”

She nods at me, and we begin to clear the table.

--------

GIDEON

My eyes scan over the document on my computer screen but my mind can’t make sense of the words I’m looking at.

My daughter didn’t pick up my calls. My daughter didn’t see me when I went over to hers.

Is she angry with me? Will she ever let me explain this to her?

She walked away from me.

She walked away from me like how Serena walked away from us.

My heart squeezes painfully in my chest as I force myself to take a deep breath in.

She’ll come around–I know she will.

But there’s a small doubt in the back of my head that tells me she won’t. I’ve kept my daughter in the dark about her mother for as long as I can remember.

Seeing Diana would surely have been a shock to her, but it was also a massive shock to me. I don’t know what she’s thinking about this, but I know it won’t be good.

Forcing myself to take another deep breath in, I look again at my screen when my office door swings open and William walks inside.

“I told you to go and live your life,” he begins as he pulls the chair out before taking a seat. “Why the fuck have you brought these two strays home? And why does that girl have my wife’s face?”

Sighing, I lean back into the chair and take a minute to wonder where to begin from. William’s been around since the beginning so he knows exactly what had happened between Serena and I.

The stuff after though…the money…the updates…

He doesn’t know about that.

Releasing another deep breath out, I begin to explain things to him.

I explain how I began supporting Serena and her son after his father had walked out on them, and how I frequently updated her about Lyra. Even though she was no longer a part of my daughter’s life, I still continued to update her, up until my daughter had gotten married to the man sitting in front of me.

I explain why I’ve brought both Victor and Diana to my home.

I don’t tell him that this isn’t my first time meeting Victor.

And when I tell him that I visited Serena yesterday to end absolutely everything with her, I see his entire body tense up.

I understand why.

“Have you got anything to drink here?” He suddenly asks me as he stands up and walks to the side, already rummaging through my cabinets.

“William.”

I call out exasperated, my head falling into my hands.

As he continues looking for a bottle, I take a deep breath through my nose as he finally returns and takes a seat once more.

“You’re stupid for going there, but I think you needed closure. If you hadn’t, there’s no way you would have found out about Diana, and as freaky as the entire thing is, I think it’s good that you found her.” He passes the bottle over to me but when I refuse, he shrugs his shoulders as he takes another swig. “Why bring her brother? He’s the kid she left you both for, isn’t he?”

My throat tightens as I look away from him.

He’s right, but…

Shrugging, I clear my throat as I look back at him.

“William, when I texted you about seeing someone–a man–and you told me to go for it…”

His eyes are comically wide, and if it wasn’t for this tense situation, I would have most definitely laughed at his expression.

“Shit, don’t tell me he’s the one?”

I nod slowly as his face changes from confusion, to shock, and finally acceptance.

“I had no idea it was him–I thought he was some random guy living in Alstorne. I only realised it was him when he walked in during Serena and I’s argument. To be honest, I’ve pushed the idea of him being her son completely out of my mind. As far as I’m concerned, he’s the guy I met all those days ago, and the guy I’ve been seeing.”

“Will you still be seeing him?”

William asks as I shrug.

“If he agrees with it, of course. I can’t say I’ve been happier, though I am concerned with what Lyra will think of me–of us.”

He sighs as he takes another swig before leaning back into the chair.

“Lyra will come around as soon as she’s cooled down. You don’t need to explain it all, but tell her something.She’s not a child anymore, Florian, and I don’t think it’s right to keep her in the dark like this. She’s asked me a couple of times now, and my answer has always been to ask you. It’s your private life to share, but you can’t blame her for growing curious and looking for answers.”