Page 112 of Secrets, Lies and Love

I wanted you to be grateful, to run after me, to see how wonderful I was.

I was a proud idiot and destroyed any chance of being happy, but I will love you forever, my Cici.

Forgive me.

With all my love,

Keith.

I drop the letter on the table as the words I just read dance through my brain.

I don’t have much faith in the human soul. It’s just the opposite. My suspicious nature, such a strong characteristic in my family, makes me certain that when cornered, people are capable of the vilest attitudes.

I never thought, however, that Sue’s rot could go that far.

I think about my late wife and how she seemed like a devoted mother to Joseph. Then I remember that the opposite wasn’t true: my son was never as comfortable with her as he was with Cecily or even Elina.

I wonder how much, in his childish head, he knew that his mother was worthless.

Right now, I have the missing pieces of the puzzle, but it doesn’t change the fact that Cecily tricked me. She had several opportunities to tell me the truth and didn’t.

Out of fear?

Yes, after reading Keith’s letter, I believe it was out of fear. After all, I had no idea who she was. Certainly, even in her naivety, she didn’t believe that I would give my son away, no matter the sad story she told me about his conception.

I pick up the phone to call the one who can give me answers, Odin, but before I can do anything, the room is invaded by him and my brothers.

I get up, and even though it’s not even lunchtime yet, I pour myself a shot of whiskey.

“We need to think of a strategy to mitigate the damage Peyton caused,” Odin says. “And there’s also something I need to tell you about the death of Sue’s ex-husband.”

I nod at the letter. “Read that.”

One by one, they do so, and when they finish, I see their features change, not in surprise, since none of them liked Sue, but in anger.

“I think she killed him,” says Odin. “That’s what I came here to say. We can’t prove it because the police did a shitty job of the investigation, but I have reason to believe that Sue killed her ex-husband by pushing him off the balcony of the apartment where they lived.”

“How would she have the strength? She was pregnant,” Zeus ponders.

“We will never know. She may have drugged him first, or maybe he didn’t fight back. We will never know for sure.”

“How could the police have been so incompetent?” Ares asks.

“The police are lazy most of the time,” Hades says, anger taking over his features, and we know why.

“Where is Cecily?” Zeus asks.

“I sent her to the penthouse,” I reply.

“What?”

“It was before I read the letter. I didn’t want her near Joseph.”

“Damn that Greek pride of ours,” Odin growls. “She cannot be alone, Dionysus.”

“She isn’t. Anderson is taking her to the apartment.”

“This is not right. I’ll ask Elina to go find her.” Before he picks up the phone, however, as if it had been arranged beforehand, a phone starts ringing.

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