“And Jake?” Mom asked. “You care about him, too?”
I paused, wondering if she could smell the guilt on me.
“Well, Kristen?” she asked. “Do you?”
“Yes,” I said, in a small voice.
“And, do you think he cares about you?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“Even if he does, it won’t last very long,” Mom said bluntly. “Especially after he finds out you’re Daphne’s half-sister.”
Silence fell between us, and I took a moment to try and sort through my tangled thoughts. It was always like this when Mom and I got into it. She left me feeling strangely empty. I wondered if s
he enjoyed trying to tear apart my life because on some intrinsic level she knew her life was forfeit.
“Have you slept with him?” Mom asked.
Shocked by the question, I lied instantly. “No,” I said, without missing a beat.
“You’re lying,” she said. “I can tell.”
“No, I’m not l—”
“Is that why you moved?” Mom asked. “To seduce your brother-in-law? I have to say… I’m surprised, especially after all the judgment you rained down on me.”
I wanted to throw the phone. I wanted to scream obscenities at her, but my fingers were numb, and my heart was cold with anger.
“Don’t… Don’t even try to insinuate that you and I are alike in any way,” I said firmly. “This is not the same thing. Even if there was something between Jake and I… He’s single and so am I. Ted was not single when you got involved with him. He was another woman’s husband. He had a wife… He had a child.”
“And you’re the bleeding heart that always believed you could change the world for the better, is that it?” Mom asked. “What were you trying to do, Kristen? Go there to San Diego and make Jake fall in love with you? Then what? You’re going to spring your little secret on him and watch him fall more in love with you?”
“I didn’t come here for that,” I said, through gritted teeth. “I came here to get away from you and your toxic lifestyle. I came to San Diego because Daphne loved this city. I looked up Jake before I left because I was planning on meeting him and introducing myself as Daphne’s half-sister. I just wanted to know more about Daphne. And, I was hoping to get to know my nephew a little bit. I never intended for my identity to be a secret.”
“And yet?”
“He was different than I expected him to be,” I said honestly. “Something about him was…broken. How could I ask him to share Daphne with me when he hadn’t fully gotten over her himself? I got caught up in the moment, and I ended up applying for a job as his secretary. I never thought I’d actually get it. And once I did…”
“You were scared to tell him the truth.”
“Yes,” I sighed.
“Do you think he’ll accept that story?” Mom asked.
“Apparently you don’t.”
“Sounds like a far-fetched excuse,” she replied. “You need to resign and get on with your life. Instead of staying and trying to steal Daphne’s.”
I cringed at her words. “How can you even say that to me?” I demanded. “That’s not what I’m trying to do.”
“Do you remember the day I met Daphne’s mother?” she asked pointedly.
I felt my body grow cold as I realized what she was implying. “Mom, this is none of your business. Stay out of it.”
“Funny… That plan of action didn’t apply to you, did it?”
“Why can’t you just leave me alone?” I demanded.