FIA
I didn't know what to say to that. The weight of his words pressed against my chest, making it hard to breathe.
"I couldn't even guess you were remotely connected to Pauline."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
"The call I had with my father-in-law revealed that." He let out a breath that crackled through the phone's speaker. "Your mother was a lost apple of Northern Ridge's Nocturne, and because of Pauline, she didn't get to live a decent life."
The pieces clicked together with sickening clarity. He knew it all already.
"She never got to live it with you either."
The accusation hung between us. Father didn't deny it.
"I know." His voice cracked on the second word. "It seems what I deserve is to be alone."
I hated the way pity unfurled in my chest at those words. I hated that some part of me still cared enough to feel sorry for him. Because there was no greater suffering than bone-deep loneliness, and I knew he spoke the truth.
