Sitting and watching cousins speak of childhood memories, business acquaintances speaking of good and even hard memories, and random people just speaking to get their moment in the light was like an out-of-body experience. They were all talking about me. Me. And yet, I was watching them. Hearing them. I was a goddamn ghost in the room, and they had no idea.
Fortunately, Phoenix didn’t approach the front of the room and speak, so it wasn’t out of the ordinary for me not to as well. I sure as fuck wasn’t going to stand up there and talk about myself.
My father was the last to speak. As he took the podium, he paused as he looked around the room, taking in each and every person who attended. He was taking notes of who came, and most certainly, who didn’t. Though everyone in the family had his brown eyes, and brown hair—though his is graying—not one of us yet possess the level of authority he has. We all can wear the expensive suits, the priceless watches and jewelry, but we can’t be him. We don’t have what he does and doubtful we ever will. He has the ability to strike down his enemies with a single look. If he told you to jump off of a cliff, the only question someone would ask is…when?
His eyes lock with mine as he begins. “Ares represented loyalty. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do for this family.” He breaks the stare and continues on. “And if we had a chance to get Ares back, there isn’t anything this family wouldn’t do for him.”
My father has never told me he loves me. He has never told me he’s proud of me. This right here is his version. And for the first time since my brother died, tears burn the back of my eyes as a single tear falls. I swipe at it as quickly as it came, but the squeeze of my hand tells me that Daphne saw.
“Ares showed us what family is. And we all should take a page from his book and learn. We are Godwins.” His eyes now lock on his brother, Leander, and then his other brother, Hector. “It’s time we act like Godwins. I only hope the last tragedy in this family for a long time is losing Ares.”
As we all make our way to the front of the church, I feel as if I’ve been beaten to shit. We still have to go bury the body in the family plot, but only immediate family are invited for that. I wish I could opt out of going because the last thing I want to see is Apollo lowered into the ground while I get to live the life that was stolen from him.
Daphne is still holding my hand, a support I hadn’t expected would be so needed and welcomed. “I’m going to go get our coats,” she says, leaning into me.
I lean down and kiss her forehead. I don’t know why. It’s not something I had ever done before with anyone, but it just felt right.
Just as I pull my lips away, I notice Phoenix staring… Actually, glaring at Daphne and the way her hand is locked in mine. There’s disgust in his eyes. There’s no reason he shouldn’t like Daphne. Even though we all knew Daphne and Apollo were having marital issues, I don’t think anyone held it against the woman. And why wouldn’t he be happy to see a marriage maybe reconnecting, or a wife giving her husband support on the day his twin brother is being buried? The daggers shooting out of his eyes make little sense. As Daphne leaves to get our coats, I walk toward him to see what’s going on. But before I have a chance, he’s marched over to our father and starts whispering something in his ear. Whatever he’s telling my father has his eyes narrowing, his jaw tightening, and then his eyes searching the room before they land on mine.
ChapterNine
Daphne
I know something is wrong when I see Troy storming in my direction. I know something isreallywrong, when I notice Apollo is crossing the room just as fast to intercept whatever it is Troy is about to do.
Without saying a single word, Troy takes me by the arm and forcibly pulls me into the coatroom. No one is in the room until Apollo’s brother, Phoenix enters, followed closely by Apollo.
“What’s going on?” Apollo demands. He clears the distance to where Troy is bruising my arm with his grip. He snatches me away from his father and adds, “What are you doing?”
I’ve never seen Apollo stand up to his father, speak in any tone that isn’t respectful, nor ever defend me. But at the same time, I’ve never seen his father so angry with me. There’s fury in his eyes, and as I glance over at Phoenix, I notice the same rage is in his. I cower behind Apollo, not sure what I’ve done to deserve this animosity, but also not sure I have the strength to stand up to them. I’m outnumbered.
“Ask your wife,” Troy says between clenched teeth.
Apollo turns to look down at me. I can see he’s as confused as I am.
When Apollo doesn’t do as Troy demands, he takes a step toward me, but Apollo only pushes me further back behind him in protection. “How rude of me, Daphne. You’ve never met my other son, Phoenix. He oversees the security at Medusa Enterprises. He’s the son who likes to watch all. And when I sayall… I meanall.”
My heart drops. Oh fuck. Oh fuck. Oh fuck.
Apollo must notice the fear I’m feeling in my facial expression, because he takes a step away from me so he can get a better look at me. He’s still says nothing, but I see question in his eyes.
“Phoenix just informed me of some information. He reviewed the security footage of the night Apollo killed Jenson in the boardroom. It’s shadowed, and it’s very hard to see. So hard that we had given up hope of ever being able to make out who was the one who ratted out Apollo to the authorities by giving them video that they recorded. We saw a body. But we couldn’t put it together.” He pauses to make sure that Apollo is paying attention. “We had watched all the footage of the elevator, other areas of the tenth floor. Every person was accounted for. And we had noticed that Apollo’s darling wife was also on that floor. There was no reason for Phoenix to believe that was out of the ordinary. Why wouldn’t she be on the floor where her husband’s office was?”
I can’t breathe. I can’t swallow. I can’t move.
“Except Phoenix could finally work the video through programs to ultimately make out the shadowed figure. And guess what he saw, Daphne? Guess.”
I say nothing. Do I need to?
“He saw Apollo’s darling wife, with her phone out, videoing the boardroom.” Troy crosses his arms against his chest. “Funny. Don’t you think?”
Apollo takes another step away from me as I see him processing the words his father just spoke.
“And,” Troy adds, “Phoenix was able to get hold of the actual footage of what the authorities had. And guess what? That footage was taken at the exact angle you stood at. Weird right? Weird, because no way in hell would a Godwin, a wife of Apollo, dare betray this family. No way would anyone be so foolish.”
“I’m going to fucking kill you,” I hear Athena say as she emerges from the shadows of the room, clearly hearing everything. “I’m going to cut off your legs, throw you on top of Ares’s coffin, and bury you alive.”
She doesn’t charge me, but I expect her to. I expect them all to. I back up until I’m up against the wall of the coatroom. I look at Apollo and tears begin to fall. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking. I…”