"It doesn't matter anymore," I say fiercely. I refuse to tell my father about what happened. I don't want to confess that I was sleeping with a man who was engaged to someone else. I still have to broach the subject of my parent's meeting Coral's mom.
"It does." His tone is insistent. I'm regretting ever bringing up the subject of running off to see my brother.
"It's over, dad." I stand to leave the room. "It's not worth talking about."
"You were seeing Zander Reynolds, weren't you?"
I fall back into my chair. How did my father know that? How does he know his name? "How?" I manage to whisper.
"I warned him to stay away from you." He slams his clenched fist into the table. "I told him there would be hell to pay if he went anywhere near you."
I shake my head hoping to escape the horror of the moment. My father knows Hunter? He's spoken to him?
"You know him?" I suck in a trembling breath. This can't be real. We can't be having this conversation.
"He's been trying to talk to you for years. Years, Sadie." He bolts from his chair and walks towards me. "He wanted to use you to relieve him of all the guilt he felt over her death."
"Wait," I bark at him. "You knew about Coral. You lied." I stand and point my finger directly at him. "I asked how much you knew about my donor and you lied."
"It was better that way." His tone is dismissive and terse. "You're too emotional for your own good."
The words bite. He's lied too. Every day since I got Coral's heart has been filled with lies.
Chapter 5
"Hunter," I whisper his name as he steps over the threshold into his apartment.
He jumps at the sound and the overnight bag in his hand falls to the floor with a dull, empty thud. He stares at me as if he's trying to register what I'm doing in his home.
"I used this." I point to the key I placed on top of the piano. "I wanted to return it and talk to you."
"How long have you been here?" He slides his suit jacket off.
"I'm not sure." I shrug my shoulders. "Hours, I guess."
"I'm sorry I wasn't here." He moves towards me. "I should have been here."
"Don't be silly," I say as I walk to the bank of windows so I can distance myself from him. "You have a life in New York." I know the words will sting but I don't care. He can't grasp all the pain he's caused me.
He pulls in a heavy sigh and sits on the piano bench facing me. "I deserve that."
"I deserve the truth," I counter. "I don't expect it from you. I really don't but there is something I need to understand."
"What's that?" He rests his elbows on his knees as he cradles his face in his hands. "Whatever it is, I'll help you understand."
"When did you meet my father?" My voice cracks even though I rehearsed the question countless times before he arrived.
His head shoots up and his eyes catch mine. I can see the shock in them but it's still only a fraction of what I felt when I was hit with the realization that he was marrying Coral's sister.
"How do you know about that?" He clears his throat. "Who told you I know him?"
"It's the reason you didn't come to dinner that night, isn't it?" I toss the words carelessly at him. Ever since my father said Hunter's name I've been replaying that night in my mind. It's no wonder he backed out at the last minute. How could he have come to that restaurant and faced my father after he was warned to stay away from me?
He nods. "I couldn't. He hates me."
"I can't believe you know each other." I reach to the edge of the piano to steady my balance. "You're both such good liars."
"Stop that," he hisses. "You haven't let me explain. Don't put me in the same category as your father before you know my side."