I hated to admit it, but I almost believed him. Was this a guy who hated Audrey? Who’d been holding a grudge for years and finally decided to unleash his anger?
Something didn’t fit.
“So even though you two have history, you don’t give a shit that she’s back.”
“Not a one.” He took a step closer and I was still well aware of how dangerous that golf club could be if he decided to use it on me. “She didn’t matter that much to me back then. She certainly doesn’t now.”
“Colin!” His wife’s voice carried across the grass. “What are you doing out there?”
“She’s lucky she’s still hot,” he said, with a you-know-what-I-mean wink. “Just talking, precious.”
“Come inside!”
“Did she answer the door?” he asked.
“Yeah.”
“Was she drunk already?”
“Probably.”
“What do you think? Too drunk to fuck? It’s important to 'Goldilocks' the situation with my wife. Too sober and she just bitches about everything. Too drunk and she passes out. I need her just right.”
I stared at him, disgust turning my stomach. “She knows you cheat on her.”
“Yeah.”
“And you know she cheats on you.”
He nodded, completely nonchalant. “Judge away, my friend, but I hit the jackpot with Lorelei. Any other woman would get all pissy about my side pieces. That life would suck balls. Lorelei? She doesn’t give a shit as long as I fund her bank account, and the liquor cabinet, and fuck her senseless a few times a month.”
“So aside from that, you just fuck whoever comes along?”
He paused, like he was thinking about it. “Whoever’s convenient, yeah. Lorelei’s here and apparently wants some action. My newest lay can’t get away until later, so fuck it.”
This guy didn’t hate Audrey. He wasn’t holding a grudge. He was a spoiled child. He’d try to grab a shiny new toy—or shiny toy from the past, as it were—if it was right in front of him, but otherwise, he didn’t care.
This guy wasn’t out to get anyone. He just wanted to screw whoever would drop their pants for him.
I was so grossed out, I didn’t bother saying anything else. I needed a shower—or maybe ten showers—after just being in their house.
As I hurried back to my truck, I was all too aware of what this meant. If Colin wasn’t the stalker—and I really didn’t think he was—the stalker was still out there. And I wasn’t with Audrey.
CHAPTER 35
Audrey
To say I was overwhelmed would have been the understatement of my life.
I didn’t know how much time I’d spent staring at the wall, trying to process everything my mom had told me. Minutes? An hour? My sense of time was skewed as I grappled with my new reality.
An affair. A sibling. Enormous secrets kept for so long.
I wondered if my mom felt better after telling me. Did revealing the truth ease the burden she’d carried for so many years? I hoped so. I didn’t agree with her choice to keep me in the dark my whole life, but I couldn’t help but feel sympathy for her.
On some level, I’d always known their marriage hadn’t been great. I’d seen the contrast between how my father behaved in front of others versus at home without an audience. He’d never been mean to my mother—didn’t fight with her or belittle her, at least that I saw.
He’d kind of ignored her. Paid attention when he needed something but otherwise, he wanted to be left to his own devices.
I’d received the same treatment. It had been so confusing, to have him act like a loving father in some circumstances and brush me off in others. My relationship with him had been little more than a performance, and it had varied depending on who was watching. In public? Loving father and devoted daughter. In private? Busy and distracted father who expected his daughter to stay out of his way.
Deep down, I’d felt like an inconvenience to both my parents.
How much worse must Jeffrey Silva have felt?
Obviously, I didn’t know anything about his childhood. But as I sat there, staring at the wall, I tried to imagine what it would have been like to grow up knowing Darryl Young was your father. He had to have seen him sometimes or at least read his name in the paper. Maybe that was how he found out. Dad’s photo on the front page, prompting a sad and awkward conversation with his mother. He’s your father, but we don’t talk about it. He’ll stop paying child support if we do.