“You little slut,” my mother hisses next to my ear before giving me a hard push. Tears sting my eyes as I hit the floor. I stare up at her in shock. She doesn’t look like she’s gone to bed since last night. Her hair is still styled and her makeup is still on. She’s even wearing her dress from the night before. “How could you? You know he’s with Sarah.”
She shakes her head at me and I start to tremble, not because I’m scared, but because of her words. He’s with someone else? Then why would he make love to me?
“Men stray, you stupid girl. It comes with the power and money, but it doesn’t mean you have to be the whore they go to.”
I can’t stop the tears that flood my eyes. It’s breaking my heart and I can’t believe it. I have to do something, so I stumble to my feet. She keeps throwing hateful words at me in a low, harsh voice. I ignore her as I go about the room finding something to wear. I dress as quickly as I can and get my bag. Thank god I didn’t unpack it when I got here. I push past my mother, and she tries to grab me, but I dodge her and rush out into the hallway, knowing she won’t make a scene out here.
I jog down the hall trying to get away from her. I pause for a moment outside of Hunter’s room but keep moving. I need to get my head back on straight. I don’t want to burst into his room, crying my eyes out, while he’s sleeping. My mother's words rattle around in my head.
I fly down the stairs and out the front door. I take off down the long driveway, but I don’t make it far before Neil’s driver is pulling up beside me. “Get in the car, ma’am,” he tells me. He puts the car in park and opens the back door.
“I don’t want to go back home right now,” I plead with him.
“Mr. Danvers gave me instructions when you arrived home that I am to take you anywhere you wish.” He nods to the open car door and I reluctantly step toward it. The driver hands me a handkerchief and I take it.
“Thank you,” I mutter as I slide in. He shuts the door behind me, then hops in the driver's seat.
“Where to?” he asks as he pulls out of the gates.
“Is there a coffee shop nearby?” He nods and turns left. I close my eyes and let my head drop back. I’ll never understand how my mother could be so cruel to me. I can’t believe the things she said about Hunter. Or maybe it’s just that my heart won’t let me believe them because I know it will break me.
“Does this look okay, miss?” I look out the window to see a small coffee shop. I nod. He steps out to open my door, but I beat him to it.
“I won’t be long,” I tell him. I pause for a moment. “Thank you,” I add.
He nods at me before getting back into the car and pulling away. I guess he’s going to find somewhere to park while he waits for me.
I step into the shop, and I have no idea why I told him to come here. I don’t even like coffee, but I couldn't think of anywhere else to go.
“Autumn.” I turn around at the sound of my name to see an older gentleman standing behind me. My eyes meet his and I freeze.
I stare into his gray eyes—eyes that look just like mine. People always comment on my eyes because they’re an unusual gray, radiating to a light blue around the edges. I’ve never seen eyes like mine before and right now I’m staring at them.
“You look just like my mother,” he says. It takes me a moment to understand what he’s really saying. I stand there shocked. I know who he is without him having to say it. “God, I’ve been looking for you for so long. Once I found out you existed I stopped at nothing to find you.”
He steps toward me and pulls me into his arms, wrapping them around me in a hug. I don’t hug him back. Instead I stand stock still, speechless.
He pulls back and I see his eyes are watering. He shakes his head. “I’m sorry, this must be overwhelming for you. I’m Ben Crawford. Your father.”
“I don’t have a father,” I tell him. It’s the only thing I can think to say.
He lets out a deep breath. “Will you sit with me?” He holds his hand out toward a table. I nod and walk over and sit down. He sits across from me.
“Autumn, I swear I didn't learn about you until a few months ago. I was at an event and your mother's name came up and someone said she had a daughter. They mentioned your age, and I did the math in my head. I got curious and started digging after that.”