His Secret Mistress, Her Public Shame

he first thing my husband said in the hospital wait

nd dollars, Eve. Your father

He handed me a settlement agreement that framed him as

soon discovered why: the driver was his pregnant mistress, and this was all a desper

nal nuisance he could easily manage. He was

ready to paint me as a greedy, unstable liar. But then th

d is Mr. Gor

er on that morgue

pte

Cox

n was not "How could this happen?" or "My God, my father," but "Take the se

ed in the stale air of the hospital waiting room, non

?" I asked, my vo

impatient, as if explaining a simple concept to a child. "It'

er the still, broken body of a man I loved like a father. The screech of tires, the horrifying thud, the sight of a dark sedan speeding a

d, the number tasting like ash in my

gesture of irritation, not distress. He was wearing the same expensive suit he' d worn to court tha

id, my voice trembling. "It w

wn after his wife passed away. The man who taught our son, Leo, how to fish. The man who showed up on our

than' s entire w

nce. "Eve, let' s not be sentimental

e. "Your father is lying in a morgue downsta

illed my nostrils, and for the first time, it made me feel sick. "The driver... she' s young. Scared. This was a tragic accident, but

. "I don' t understand. Who is offering a settlement?

ed neatly to a leather-bound folder. "Just read it, Eve. It' s all there. A standard se

es scanned the legalese, the cold, black letters

ing into traffic without regard for his own saf

is Es

her' s

nto ice water. My blood ran cold, and the grief that had been a heavy

at the victim was a known opportunist who had attempted similar schemes before.

monster. It was a des

e dangerously quiet. "Have y

ther, Eve. I' ve been paying his bills for years. The man was a financia

s own father. He thought the man lying dead, the man he w

profound it scared me. "A condo he and my mother bought after selling their fami

oint. The point is, he' s gone. It' s sad, yes, but it' s also... a relief. No more surprise medical bi

ook of pity. My grief, which had been raw and agonizing, was crystallizing into some

ather anymore?" I

kind a lawyer uses to pacify a difficult client. "Eve, honey, I know this is hard. You' re in shock. But think about it. Seven

as my father, a man whose only crime was loving his daughter enough to

ous, handsome, utterly soulless man-and I saw him for the first time. He di

an oppo

rets. The coldness that had crept into our marriage. It wasn' t

ce laced with a dark, bitter irony he was too self-a