“David Faverley,” I said, and my tone was confident, demanding.
She dialled him without hesitation. “Mr Faverley, your daughter for you.” A pause. “No, sir. Miss Smith…”
She gave me a smile as she disconnected.
“He’ll send someone right down.”
“I’ll find him.”
She didn’t even try to stop me.
I checked out my reflection in the elevator mirrors, so different than the girl who’d stared back at me last time around. Had I really changed so much? Inside as well as out?
I wasn’t sure anymore. Wasn’t sure of anything. I took a breath and willed my heart to calm itself the hell down as the doors pinged open, and I was back on the executive floor, back amongst director’s offices and board level meeting rooms and all that crap.
Another of the neck scarf brigade was heading down the hallway. “Miss Smith, I was just on my way. Your father is right down the hall, on the left. I’ll take you.”
“No need,” I said, and I was off.
I found his office right on the end. Mr David C. Faverley. CEO.
I knocked once before I opened the door, took one last deep breath before I pushed my way into his office like a bull entering a china shop.
He didn’t even have time to stand. No time to greet me.
“I know,” I said. “I know my mum lied. I know she told you I was… aborted. I know you didn’t know about me.”
His face turned pale, so pale.
Just like I imagined mine had.
Just like my mum’s had.
“Katie… good Lord, I…” He gestured for me to take a seat. Picked up his phone, dialled out with a cough. “Cancel everything for today… yes everything… I don’t care, he’ll have to wait… thank you.” He put the phone down.
I stared out of his window, and the sky was blue. Just a smattering of cloud. Just a nice normal summer’s day.
He coughed again. “Was this… your mother? Did she…”
I shook my head. “Carl.”
He nodded, just a little. “Carl, yes. Of course.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked. “You could have told me.”
He held out his hands. “Your mother was worried about the effect it would have on you. She didn’t want to dwell on the past, she was adamant, right from the off. She said we should start afresh, so as not to confuse you any more than absolutely necessary.” He sighed. “I respected that.”
“Why did you respect that? She lied to you, for more than a decade.”
“Because I respected your mother, Katie. I respected her judgement. I still do.”
I couldn’t hold back a laugh. “Is that why you fired her? Cast her aside like a stray dog? Was that your respect?”
“It was never like that.” He looked right at me. “I made mistakes. I didn’t do right by your mother, Katie. Lord knows I didn’t, and Lord knows I regret it, but with you…” He paused. “I would have been there for her, I would have been there for you. But it was too late. I’d already done the damage.” He put his head in his hands. “I loved your mother, with God as my witness, I loved your mother dearly, but I’d lost the fight. It was over for her.”
“You didn’t fight very hard, Dad. Not for love. Not for the baby she was carrying!”
“She told me it was too late.” His eyes were so sad. “Told me she wanted nothing to do with me.”
“And you accepted that?” I tried not to glare at him.
“Things were difficult enough at home. I had the boys and Olivia was carrying Verity. I tried to make the best choices, but everything I did was wrong, Katie. I was wrong to try again with Olivia, I was wrong to cast out your mother, I was wrong to accept her word about the termination, knowing she’d already lied to me once about you.”
I raised my eyebrows.
“She left without telling me she was pregnant. Not a single word on the subject. I found out through a friend of hers.”
“And she told you it was too late?”
“Yes, she told me it was too late. And I believed her.”
I met his eyes, and he was telling the truth. I could feel my own emotions, bubbling around, but I kept breathing, kept my cool. “Mum loved you.”
“And I loved her.”
“But you were still sleeping with your wife? You must have been.”
He shook his head. “It was once. One last ditch attempt at salvaging something for the boys.”