UNEDITED
Between his semi-committed addiction to smoking and his role as CEO of Elemental Coffee, Cassian Russell has spent the majority of his life running one of the most popular coffee shops on the Island with his best friend, Jake Swift. After a...
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.
Penelope
I relay the address to the taxi company as I pace the length of the sidewalk. I'm too tipsy to drive home. Before I made the call, I put the keys in the console of Cassian's vehicle and locked it. When the party's over, all he must do is type in the code. Whoever invented that feature for vehicles is a saint.
Confusion and disbelief cloud my mind. I need to leave. After I've slept the alcohol off, I need to figure out a plan of attack. Patrick needs to be eased into this news. I'm lucky to have parents like mine. They've never lied to me or told me otherwise. All my life, I've had nothing but support and love. We never built our foundation on a lie. My family never blindsided me.
My heart aches for Patrick. Just as things seem better for him, shit hits the fan. All because of a patriarchal asshole. And I bet that's why Patrick doesn't have a pleasant relationship with Doug. I bet Doug resents Patrick because there's no blood relation. Just a legal name to pass down and flaunt.
"Penelope!"
Just as I'm hanging up, I turn around. Ophelia's jogging down the salted sidewalk in her high heels. Her breath comes out in white puffs, dissipating into the air. Snow is falling again, leaving a light dusting atop the cement. It's a wonder how she's jogging in her heels.
"What do you want?" I sniffle.
Ophelia stops in front of me, fiddling with the strap of her dress. She keeps her gaze locked on the snow-dusted cement. Her face holds nothing but shame, and her cheeks are burning from the cold or embarrassment. I don't think she expected having this conversation.
A few more seconds pass before my filter snaps. "How could you do this to him?" I demand. "What made you think keeping the truth from him would help?"
"I know!" she exclaims. "I know I messed up! But—"
"Why would you put this one me?" I ask. "You know damn well I can't keep this from Patrick. Not when he's been so open and careful with me."
Patrick sprang the news on me, but he didn't force me into accepting it. He gave me space and time. Because of that, we've built a foundation between the two of us. One that includes trust. If I don't tell him the truth, then that foundation goes to waste.
Ophelia pulls a painted lip between her teeth, smudging her lipstick. A streak of dark red now covers her front teeth. When she releases her bottom lip, she drags her tongue across her teeth, clearing them of any smudged lipstick. "I wanted to help," she whispers. As she stands in front of me, shivering from the cold, I realize how deflated she looks. Her posture is terrible and her eyes are red from the onset of tears. The look in her eyes isn't pleasant, either. It's very distant, as if she's wishing she could go back and change her mistakes. "I was all for him finding his twin sister—you. Until Renée revealed Doug wasn't the father. Penelope, I weighed the options I had. In the end, I kept it from Patrick. He already had to deal with his Mom and Dad shutting him down. Finding out his father isn't his father would've caused damage beyond repair."
