Page 85 of Just the Wrong Twin

“You’re way too perceptive,” Sonia said finally and Nate couldn’t miss the fact that she’d avoided the question.

That meant he was right and that made him angry. “Being observant is how people stay alive in my business.”

“You’re mad.” She’d gotten it in one.

“I don’t have a lot of respect for people who take advantage of others.”

“No, you wouldn’t.”

“Your parents violated your trust,” he said tightly.

“Yes, but they would tell you otherwise. I thought sometimes that Katia and I were just props.”

Props. She’d just said she felt like an accessory in her parents’ lives. Nate bit his tongue. It was so wrong.

“You know, I’m terrified that they might find me, but I’m not a child anymore,” Sonia said finally. “I resent this urge to run and hide.”

“It would piss me off,” Nate said. “If I spent a decade afraid that someone would turn up and try to wreck my life, that would make me mad enough, but if they finally did, I’d be ready to take heads.”

“Yes,” Sonia said with heat. “I’m afraid but I’m also mad. The anger is new and probably healthy.”

“What do you think they want?”

“A happy family reunion for the cameras.” She scoffed. “As if we were ever a happy family. Maybe we put on a good show in public, but there was no illusion in private.”

“They just want the photo op?” Nate couldn’t believe that anyone could be so self-absorbed.

“That’s what they want first,” she said. “With every success, though, the goal will move. My parents have ambition to spare and they believe they can have whatever they want.”

“And you?”

“I was taught to take what I was given and say thank you very much, no matter what it was.”

“You know that’s not fair.”

“I know it logically. It’s hard to shake the convictions that I was taught early. They’re buried deep.” She took a deep breath. “Do you have time for me to tell you a story?”

“Sure.” Just the fact that she’d asked meant Nate would listen.

“But you have to work tomorrow and I have to go to film at least three episodes of the podcast at F5F. Both of us have long days ahead. Maybe it should wait.”

“If you want to talk, I’m listening.”

“I think it would help,” Sonia said softly. “If I could walk through it again. It would help me to decide how much to say.”

And she trusted him enough to share the truth with him.

“Go for it,” Nate said, because he could sleep some other time.

She was his kryptonite for sure.

* * *

Sonia took a deep breath,willing the tension inside her to ease. She had to decide where to begin.

“My parents aren’t bad people,” she said finally and smiled when she heard Nate snort in disbelief. “They just have a very tight focus. They worry about appearances a lot. They want everything about their lives to look perfect. It doesn’t matter what’s going on beneath the surface, so long as no one gets a glimpse of that. Everything has to be ready to be photographed for posterity, all the time.”

“That’s not an encouraging start.”

---