Page 54 of Make Believe

My beautiful boy’s perfect face has gone the color of day-old oatmeal.

“Oh?” I say.

Logan is pacing, shaking his head, pulling at his hair. “This is what you meant by revenge, Hughes? This is how you were going to get me back? Byfucking my father?To what end? Did you think it would make me apologize to you? How were you going to…?” It’s my son’s face that loses its color now. “Holy shit. Do you have photos or videos or something? You sick fuck! What were you going to do? Tell me!”

I look at Kadence, realization dawning on me.

Oh…no…

“This was all a scheme?” I ask, not sure how I feel about the matter.

Kadence’s lip trembles, and my heart comes close to imagining how it would feel if it broke. Not for anything he may or may not have done. Because he looks so utterly broken, and I can’t stand it.

“I’m so sorry,” he whispers.

“Iknewit!” Logan gloats, punching the air. “You twisted little freak. You messed around with my dad to try and blackmail him to get to me! I am calling the police right now. You won’t get away with this!”

He actually pulls his phone out of his pocket. However, I thrust my hand out with such force that he pauses.

“Kadence, talk to me,” I say. I’m looking only at him now.

Twin tears spill down his face, and even then, he’s still beautiful. “I wasn’t going to hurt you, Rafferty,” he rasps. “Not now. I…”

“But that was your plan, right?” Logan presses. “That’s why you forced your way into my dad’s life. So you could expose and ruin him, his company, our family, and me.Right?”

Kadence’s chest is fluttering like a hummingbird as he tries to catch his breath. “Is that true?” I ask. I can’t deny that my ego is bruised. I don’t like being manipulated. But that’s not what I see when I’m looking at my boy right now.

His face is etched with regret. “It was my plan, yes…” he utters. “But not…I wasn’t going to…” He shakes his head, and his face crumples as he spins on his heel and races up the stairs, presumably toward his room. I want to chase after him more than anything, but I have to make sure that my idiot son doesn’t do anything unforgivable first.

Or should I say…anythingmoreunforgivable?

“Put your phone away,” I snap, feeling a smug satisfaction as he does as he’s told.

Christ, I’ve done him dirty. I let his mother mollycoddle him along with her parents, and all they’ve done is poison and weaken him. But it’s not too late. I’m still his father, and I can still help him. Steer him right. Mend his ways.

“Why would Kadence need to exact revenge on you?” I ask calmly.

For just a second, terror flashes across his face, and I get all the information I need. “Dad, you’re a victim here!” he cries. “He’s…catfished you or something. Let me call the cops!”

I don’t even try to stop myself from rolling my eyes. “Why do I think you don’t even know the definition of catfishing? I ask again.Whywould Kadence feel the need to get one back onyou?”

Logan shakes his head and steps away. “You’re crazy. I don’t know what you’re trying to imply, but?—”

I laugh humorously. “Look up the definition of gaslighting while you’re at it,” I murmur. “It’s okay. It’s really not hard to work it out. You two were involved. You hurt him—presumably in some way thanks to your tragic denial of who you really are—and Kadence thought he could ruin our family name by catching me in a compromising position. Close?”

Logan’s mouth opens and closes a couple of times. “N-no. What? That’s not…this right here hasnothingto do with me!”

“Hmm,” I say, already turning and making my way up the stairs after my boy. “Let yourself out, please. Next time, text before you intend on visiting. There’s no tellingwhatthat traitorous little minx and I might be up to in ‘your’ home.”

“What?” he splutters from behind me. “Dad, you can’t be serious. You’re not that stupid!”

I pause and glance over my shoulder. “You’re right. I’m not. Now get out. You’ve done enough damage already.”

The moment stretches out so long as I climb another couple of steps that I think he might actually be doing as he’s told. Then…

“Are you really picking him over me?” he asks in a pathetic voice.

But that’s his fault if he’s forgotten I’m an absolute bastard. He brought this on himself when he made my Kiki doll cry.

---