“And he was good to me, for the most part. He gave me a comfortable life. And he certainly ensured a very comfortable life for me now that he’s gone.”
She stopped again and set her tea on the table. I didn’t know what to say.
“But there were temptations. Every man in power faces them. Most, if not all, succumb at some point.”
My eyes widened and a sick feeling spread through my stomach.
“He did succumb, for a time, at least.”
“Mom, what are you saying?”
She took a deep breath and squared her shoulders. “Your father had an affair.”
Maybe it shouldn’t have surprised me as much as it did, but her words sliced through my heart like a knife. I stared at her, dumbfounded. Heartbroken. Devastated.
“He what?”
“She was his secretary, if you can believe it. Some clichés exist because there is truth to them.”
“How did you find out?”
“He admitted it.”
“And you stayed with him?”
Her expression hardened. “You’ve never been in my shoes, so you have no room to judge me.”
“I’m not judging you, I just can’t imagine.”
“I had a young child and at the time, I hoped we’d have more. He confessed and made amends. We went to counseling. We decided it was in the best interest of the family if we made it work.”
“Why are you telling me this now?”
A spasm of pain crossed her features and she looked away. “I didn’t think I’d ever need to tell you. Especially after he passed away. I thought, well, it’s all over now. He was never perfect, but who is? He made his mistakes and I made mine and it’s all in the past.”
“But?”
She pressed her lips together for a long moment, as if steeling herself for what she was about to say. “They had a son.”
How I didn’t fall backward onto the kitchen floor, I had no idea. It felt like I’d just been hit in the face with a board. “What?”
“She got pregnant. He did the right thing. He supported them financially until the child was eighteen.”
“Did you know? From the beginning, did you know about all this?”
“Yes.”
Unable to keep still, I got up from the table. “Are you telling me I have a brother I never knew about?”
“Technically speaking, yes.”
“Technically?” It was hard to keep my voice from rising. “That’s not a technicality. Dad had a son, that makes him my brother. How old is he?”
“You were five when he was born.”
“Where did he live? Did I ever meet him?”
“He grew up in town. We took care to keep you apart, and with the age gap, you wouldn’t have crossed paths very often.”
This was so much to process, I didn’t even know where to begin. But there was a particularly nagging question at the forefront of my mind.
“Why are you telling me this now? Is the mom demanding money or threatening to go public or something?”
“No. His mother moved away from Pinecrest a number of years ago. I don’t know where she is now.”
“Then what’s going on?”
“I’ve decided to go to the police.”
I was about to ask why, when it dawned on me what she was saying. “You think he’s the stalker, don’t you?”
She nodded.
“Who is he? Does he live around here?”
“His name is Jeffrey Silva. And I heard he’d moved to Tilikum a few years ago.”
I searched my memory, trying to place him. Five years younger meant we wouldn’t have attended middle or high school at the same time. I didn’t remember him from Pinecrest, but had I met him since moving to Tilikum? His name didn’t ring any bells.
“Does he know who his father was? Does he know about me?”
“I can only guess what his mother told him. But I suspect he knows exactly who his father was and who you are.”
“But what makes you think he’s the stalker?”
“Who else would hold such a grudge against you?”
I couldn’t believe I was about to argue for this when I’d been so adamantly against the idea when Josiah had brought it up. “Well, Colin for one.”
“Colin isn’t stalking you.”
“How do you know?”
“He wouldn’t.”
I rolled my eyes because that had been the extent of my argument. “I know it seems like that, but we don’t know. He might.”