Page 265 of Kentrell

“About me being with a man who would never leave his wife… and subjecting myself to only being his mistress.”

My throat tightened as she fed my words back to me. They stung—again—and I kind of hated that I’d said them to her at all.

“Vivian was pissed.”

My eyes flew open.

“Wait… Vivian knew? About you—and me?” My breath hitched.

“That’s a loaded question…” She paused, leaving me teetering on the edge of this chair. “Yes, she knew of me. Even confronted me once… in this restaurant downtown while I was dining with your aunt.”

I was floored.

“But after I told Darius, he moved me into my own home—under some ghost LLC she couldn’t trace—and had his brother check in on me?—”

“His brother?” Another layer to an already messy story.

“Yeah… Marcus.”

I swallowed hard.

I didn’t even have to ask if they were close. If Darius trusted him enough to bring him into this… they had to be thick as thieves.

“Are there more?”

I held my breath, hoping this was the last blow—outside of the whole Darius-is-my-daddy bombshell.

“Yes.”

So much for that.

“Zoe, I know this doesn’t make up for anything, but none of his siblings are close with Vivian… or Malcolm… or Desmond.”

She said it like it might make me feel better. It didn’t. At least not much. But I did let out a shaky sigh, knowing this wasn’t some isolated thing. This was just… Darius.

“He goes home though. Visits his parents?—”

“Wait… they’re still living?” That stopped me cold.

“Yeah.”

“Where?”

She hesitated, and I already knew what she was about to say before the word left her mouth.

“Chicago.”

“Wow. Good to know,” I said flatly.

So not only did I miss out on having my father… but apparently his parents, his siblings… probably cousins too.

I could’ve passed them on the street. Sat next to them at brunch. Smiled at them in passing.

And I didn’t even know.

I tried not to let that fact make me bitter. But it did.

Yes, I’d forgiven my mother—understood her reasoning, at least partially—but this? This was too much.

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