Eve's Wrath

by Linda Verji

  “That still counts as baby-trapping, Mom.” Eve pulled her hand from her mother’s grip. Sudden anger shooting through her, she said, “And it wasn’t too late. You should’ve told him the moment you found out. If you had, we wouldn’t be getting blackmailed by your demon of a friend or-”

  Toni interrupted with a frown. “What do you mean getting blackmailed?”

  Eve took a deep breath then began, “Well, Mom…”

  By the time she was done listing all the bullshit Sharon had put her through, her mother’s eyes were clouded in tears.

  “Oh, baby. I’m so sorry.” Toni rose from her seat to circle the table between them. When she was next to Eve, she bent down to hug her. “I’m so sorry.”

  “I’m not the one you should be sorry to.” Eve felt tears gather in her eyes. “You should be apologizing to Dad, not me.”

  “No, I should be apologizing to both of you. You should’ve told me what Sharon was doing to you.” As Toni pulled away to take the seat that was right next to Eve, tears slipped from her eyes. “Is that why you’ve been so hostile to me these last five years? Because you knew?” She didn’t give Eve a chance to respond. Instead, she lunged forward to hug her again. “I’m so sorry, baby. This is all my fault. You went through all that just to protect me.”

  “No, I didn’t do it to protect you.” Eve untangled her mother’s arms from around her and pushed her away. “I did it for Dad. He still thinks I’m his daughter, and if he finds out that I’m not it will devastate him. I don’t want to break his heart.”

  That statement was only partially true. Of course, Mark was the primary reason why Eve had worked so hard to keep her paternity a secret. But she’d also done it for herself. She’d always been a daddy’s girl, and her father had always been the most important man in her life, the one who loved her most. If he knew that she wasn’t biologically his, would that change? Would he stop being her dad? She wasn’t brave enough to find out.

  “I’m so, so, so, sorry. Eve, I’m so-” Toni’s voice broke with her tears and she covered her face with both hands. Her shoulders shook with her muffled sobs.

  Eve wanted to console her mother, but she couldn’t bring herself to lean forward and hug her or to even say a few soothing words. Toni’s sin had put their whole family into this mess, and as much as she loved her mother, she couldn’t forgive her for it. So she just looked away from Toni while waiting for the sobs to subside. When her own tears began to fall, she quietly wiped them away.

  When Toni met Eve’s gaze again, her cheeks were marred with a trail of mascara and ruined foundation. And she repeated the line that was now beginning to annoy Eve. “I’m so sorry, baby. So sorry. I didn’t mean for you to find out like this.”

  No, you never meant for me to find out at all, Eve wanted to say but she held back. Swiping her palm over her cheek to wipe the remnants of her tears, she asked, “So what’s the plan? Will you try to convince me to hand Sharon her company so you can keep your secret?”

  Eve expected her mother to say ‘yes’. This was a dangerous secret. It had the ability to destroy their family and Toni’s marriage. So it was only natural for her to want it to stay a secret. But Toni surprised Eve by saying, “No, you don’t have to do that anymore.”

  Eve arched her eyebrows. “I don’t?”

  “No, you don’t. We won’t let Sharon keep leading you by the nose just because of something I did.” Toni paused for a beat then said, “It’s time for me to tell your father the truth.”

  Eve’s jaw dropped. She blinked then blinked again. “You’ll tell dad the truth?”

  “Yes.” Her eyes hardening, Toni added, “It’s the only way to stop Sharon.”

  “But you can’t.” Eve swallowed. “Dad won’t take it well.”

  “No, he won’t,” her mother agreed. “But that’s not a good reason to keep the truth from him. I’ve already kept it hidden for too long. I can’t let Sharon keep using it against you.”

  “But what if he divorces you?”

  “Then he divorces me.” Toni dragged in a shaky breath. “I still need to tell him. It’s time.”

  But what if he doesn’t want me in his life anymore? Eve wanted to ask but she couldn’t bring herself to voice her greatest fear so all she managed was a shrill, “You can’t tell him. You’ll hurt him too much.”

  “I know.” Toni sighed. “But I’m already hurting you by not telling the truth and I can’t let that go on. This should never have been your burden to bear.”

  Despite her best efforts, Eve couldn’t hide the pleading note in her voice as she said, “I can handle it.”

  Toni slowly shook her head. “No, not when Sharon’s involved.”

  “Mom, you can’t do this.”

  “I have to do this,” Toni insisted. Forcing a smile, she scooted forward and took Eve’s hands in hers. “Don’t worry, honey. Everything will be okay. I’ll make it fine. I’ll fix everything.”

  No, you won’t. You’ll ruin it all, Eve wanted to scream. However, she knew that throwing a tantrum would be useless. Her mother’s gaze was too determined and her tone too firm. Toni was going to do this whether Eve wanted it or not. Anger bubbled within Eve, sending a burning sensation through her.

  Five years. Eve had thrown away five years of her life just to protect this terrible secret. She’d spent five years with her devil of a mother-in-law, taken in all her emotional and physical abuse. Five years, she’d fought her own feelings for Carter just to protect her parents. Yet here her mother was threatening to sink the boat that Eve had worked so hard to keep afloat.

  Suddenly, Eve couldn’t bear to be around the older woman anymore.

  Eve pushed her seat back and shot to her feet. “I have to go.”

  “Go where?” Toni protested. “We’re not done talking.”

  “I’ve got an urgent meeting,” Eve lied. Grabbing her purse and the envelope containing the documents Sharon was supposed to have signed, she added, “It can’t wait.”

  “Wait, wait.” Toni grabbed her wrist to keep her from walking away. “Let’s talk first. Discuss things.”

  “What’s the point? You’ll just do what you want anyway.” Eve shook her mother’s hand off her. “I have to go.”

  She’d only taken a few steps towards the door when Toni stopped her with, “Don’t you want to know who your real father is?”

  “I know who my real father is,” Eve said without turning. “My father is Mark Linyard. The man who raised me.”

  And with that she walked out of the room.

  But even as she left, fear and anxiousness swept through her. Though she considered Mark her father, there was no guarantee that he’d still think of her as his daughter after this. And it scared her silly. She’d already lost so much in the last five years. She couldn’t bear to lose her father too.

  CHAPTER 20

  As soon as Eve left the restaurant her phone rang. The number displayed was foreign to her, but the voice that came through when she picked up was familiar.

  “Did you do this?” Peralta screamed into her ear. “Did you tell her to make that video?”

  Oh, she’d forgotten about his pathetic ass. Given the time and the panic in his voice, she assumed that Nina had just posted a video detailing his sins. Though Eve had asked Nina not to reveal his connection to Sharon yet, the other stuff they had on the man was just as bad. They had photos of his mistress, statements from dealers who’d given him cuts, evidence that he’d taken bribes from rich people to lose evidence, and lots more. In short, he was screwed.

  Her tone mocking, Eve admitted, “Yes, I told her to make that video.”

  Peralta screamed. “Take it down. I’m going to sue you if you don’t take it down. You can’t prove any of-”

  Eve hang up on him and immediately blocked his number. He could whatever the hell he wanted. Meanwhile, she’d keep making his life a living hell until he was unemployed and behind bars. The evidence they had on him was so damning that even suing them couldn’t
save him.

  Minutes after she hung up, another strange number called. She didn’t pick it up because she assumed that it was Peralta again. Soon text messages started to tumble in. She glanced at the first one, saw that it was just a long stream of him cussing her out, and decided to ignore messages from any number that her phone didn’t recognize.

  Benisio, who was driving, asked, “What should we do about Sharon?”

  “I haven’t decided yet.” Eve exhaled deeply. “Her move today ruined everything.”

  “You should just release everything on her,” Benisio advised. “Obviously, threats aren’t working with her. You’ve given her enough chances. It’s time to take real action.”

  “I guess you’re right.” She sighed again. “But I just… I just need a little time to think.”

  So much had happened today, and she needed a minute to digest it. Though Sharon’s matter was urgent, it wasn’t the most critical issue on Eve’s plate. Mark was the critical issue. Eve was preoccupied with thoughts of him and his reaction to the news of her paternity. He was all she cared about right now.

  Seeing that she wasn’t in the mood to talk about Sharon, Benisio let the subject go. He asked, “Do you want me to take you to the hotel?”

  “Ye-” She paused when it hit her that Carter was probably still there waiting for answers. With another deep sigh, she shook her head. “No, just take me to La Belle.”

  By the time they got to the company, it was past seven p.m. and most of the employees had signed out. Despite Benisio’s protests that he could wait for her, Eve took her car keys from him then sent him home.

  Everyone on the executive’s floor had already left, and the place was as silent as a mausoleum. The tap of Eve’s heels echoed eerily in the hallway as she headed to her office. Her office was so dark that for a brief second fear spiraled through her as she imagined one of Sharon’s minions jumping out from the darkness to pounce on her. But no one pounced.

  After locking the door and turning on a few lights so that the room was dimly lit, Eve settled at her desk with her eyes closed. There was no way she could work, not when all she could think about was her father.

  Her phone rang several times. Most of the calls were from strange numbers so she assumed that was Peralta and his people trying to get to her. She ignored the calls. A few of the calls were from Carter. She ignored those too. However, when he sent her a message asking her where she was, she texted him back saying that she was busy in meetings and would let him know when she was going back to the hotel.

  Though her eyes were closed, she couldn’t sleep. The wheels in her brain were turning too fast for her to rest. Had her mother spoken to her father yet? How would he react? Would he be so hurt that he wanted them out of his life? Despair and terror danced on her nerves, leaving her feeling like she was on the verge of a breakdown.

  At around eight p.m., her phone rang. She was going to ignore it like she had with the rest, but something told her to check first. She opened her eyes and reached for her phone. The moment she saw the name blinking on the screen, her heart jumped to her throat. It was her father.

  She sat up straighter, wet her lips and took in several breaths to ease the sudden tension that overwhelmed her before swiping on the answer icon. “Dad?”

  “Hi, baby.” Though he wasn’t quite as chirpy as usual, he didn’t sound angry. “Where are you?”

  “I… um…” Eve tripped over her words as her brain tried to assess the situation. Had he and her mother talked? “I’m at… at the office.”

  “At this time? It’s almost nine.” Concern in his voice, he asked, “Why are you working yourself so hard?”

  “Just… you know… meetings.”

  “Is it something you can get out of?” he asked. “I wanted to meet up for a couple of minutes. But if you’re not available, I can-”

  “No, no. I can get out of the meeting,” she cut him off in a rush. But even then the questions kept bouncing around in her head. Why did he want to meet up? Did he know? Breathlessly, she asked, “Where do you want to meet?”

  “Why don’t we meet at that restaurant you love so much?” he suggested. “We can have dinner together.”

  “Okay. I can be there in twenty minutes.”

  “Twenty minutes it is then.” It almost sounded like he was smiling as he added, “Don’t be late. I’m hungry.”

  “I won’t be.” Eve ended the call.

  As she drove to the restaurant, she was a bundle of nerves. Why did he want to meet her? Was it because her mother had already told him the truth? No, Eve didn’t think so. If the conversation had happened, he would be agitated and furious right now. But he’d been extremely calm on the phone. Conclusion; he and Toni hadn’t spoken.

  If Toni hadn’t spoken to him, should Eve bring it up? No, she didn’t have the nerve. But how was she supposed to eat with him calmly while knowing that his world was about to implode? How could she not warn him?

  By the time she brought her car to a stop in the restaurant’s parking lot, she was dizzy and nauseous. It felt like she was an elastic band that had been stretched to its limits and was now about to break. At this rate, she wouldn’t be able to make it through dinner with her father without either fainting or blurting out everything she knew. On shaky legs, she made her way into the restaurant.

  Mark had already arrived. He was seated at one of the corner tables. When Eve saw him, her already racing heart sped up. When her father lifted his eyes and saw her, his lips stretched into a smile. It wasn’t a forced smile. It was a genuine smile. He didn’t look like a man who’d just had the rug pulled from underneath his feet. That smile confirmed to Eve that Toni hadn’t yet told him.

  Should I tell him? Should I tell him? Should I tell him? The question rang over and over in her mind as she walked to him. It echoed incessantly as they hugged and greeted each other. When he asked her what had happened to her face, she automatically gave the ‘got hurt in self-defense class’ excuse but her mind still tossed the question around. Should I tell him? Should I tell him? That question pricked and prodded at her as they gave their orders to the server. And by the time their food came, it was all she could think about until finally, she made the decision. I’m going to tell him.

  But she never got to tell him, because as her father cut into his meat, he said, “I know.”

  “Huh?” Eve shot him a disconcerted look. “You know what?”

  “I know everything.” Mark’s expression was grave as he looked up to meet her eyes. “I know that you’re not biologically mine.”

  Her mouth fell open in a sharp exhale. Her mind tossed out question after question. He knew? Her mother had talked to him? Then why was he so calm?

  He answered that question with his next statement. “I’ve known for quite some time.”

  The shock that swept through Eve was indescribable. Staring at him in goggle-eyed surprise, she squeaked, “For some time?”

  “Yes.” Her father’s lips lifted in a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. “Since you were five.”

  Eve blinked several times as she tried to absorb what she was hearing. All this time he’d known. “You’ve known for all that time? How?”

  “Your biological father told me. He called to let me know that you were his so I did a DNA test behind your mother’s back,” Mark explained. Almost as if he could see all the questions scrambling for attention in Eve’s brain, he added, “I didn’t say anything to your mother because it didn’t matter by then. You were already mine.”

  In that moment, Eve saw the last five years of her life flash right before her eyes. She recalled the horror she’d felt when Sharon had told her that Mark wasn’t her father. She remembered the sadness that had overwhelmed her every time she saw him because she assumed that he was being deceived by both her and her mother. She recalled just how hard she’d worked to protect him from being shocked with the terrible news.

  And he knew all that while?

  A tsunami of emotio
n like she’d never felt before slammed into her. Right there, in the middle of the restaurant, in full view of everyone who cared to look, she burst into tears. She didn’t cry quietly or prettily. They were ugly sobs, shaking shoulders and fat tear drops that she had to hide with hands cupped over her face. It was almost as if every atom of her was breaking down, traumatized by the thought of all the time she’d wasted kowtowing to Sharon when she could’ve been happy.

  Her crying was so bad that not even her father who’d moved from his seat to soothe her couldn’t quiet her. They were drawing so much attention that he eventually led her out of the restaurant. They ended up in his car; a private space where she could cry without the people around them wondering why the mayor’s daughter was having a breakdown.

  While they sat in the back seat, her father held her to him, patted her shoulders and muttered soothing words. When she finally quieted down, he handed her his handkerchief. “Are you okay?”

  Wiping her face, Eve nodded quietly.

  Still frowning in concern, he stroked her hair. “Are you sure?”

  She nodded again. When her she looked up to meet her father’s gaze, she noticed that his eyes were watery and red too. Like he’d been crying while she was, and it broke her heart.

  Her voice still watery with her tears, she said, “You should’ve said something. You should’ve told me. I wish you knew how I felt when I found out from Sharon.”

  “I didn’t even know that she knew.” His brow furrowing into a deeper frown, he added, “But I’m so sorry that you had to go through all that because of her. If I’d known that you knew, we could’ve talked.”

  “You should’ve told me that you knew,” Eve repeated.

  Her father sighed. “I should’ve but I didn’t. I was selfish. I’m sorry.” He pulled in another deep breath. “It’s just that I didn’t want to lose you or your mother. If I told you, our whole relationship would’ve changed. You wouldn’t have thought of me as your father.”