swallows thickly. “New Year’s Eve this year. Four weeks ago.”
More silence, this time heavier, so heavy it’s almost unbearable.
Colin exchanges a glance with Agnes, who isn’t blinking.
“You said you got engaged over Christmas,” his father says roughly, his brows knitting together in confusion.
“It was a lie,” Padraig says.
And there the truth is, laid out on the table in all its ugliness.
“A lie?” repeats his nan. She’s shaking her head. “I don’t understand.” She looks to his father. “Colin, what’s going on, what the devil are they talking about?”
Colin is pressing his mouth together until it’s a thin white slash. He looks angry. I mean, really angry.
Fuck. Maybe we shouldn’t have spoken up, maybe she wouldn’t have said anything at all.
“It’s true,” Gail speaks up.
Oh, for fuck’s sake.
“How do you know this?” Agnes says, shocked. If she was wearing her best pearls, she would be clutching them.
“Because I didn’t believe them, didn’t for a minute believe they were engaged or had been together for a year. They sure didn’t act it. I thought there was something suspicious about it all and I was right. I did a Google search on Valerie, perhaps something ye all should have done, and found out she was engaged to another man in New York City, as of December last year.”
Agnes lets out an audible gasp and stares at me with such betrayal that it makes me hate myself. “Valerie. Dear, tell me this isn’t true.”
I try to smile but can’t. “It’s not like that,” I say.
“You were engaged to Cole Masters, a start-up genius,” Gail says, and I flinch at the word genius because that’s being a little generous. “Then ye get fired from your job and ye come over to Ireland for who knows what or how long and ye meet Padraig and then what, he ropes you into this scheme of lying to his family? Or perhaps it was all your idea. You’re single and broke now and so ye thought ye could land yourself one of the most eligible bachelors in the country.” She pauses and lifts her chin. “Just another hoor in the end.”
“Hey!” Padraig snaps at her, jabbing the air with his finger, his jaw clenched. “You don’t know anything and if ye say anything more, I’m going to personally toss your arse out of this room, is that clear?”
“Padraig!” his father croaks, trying to stand up but the nurse is at him, already pushing him back down. “Don’t ye speak to anyone that way in this house of mine. Let Gail have her say and then tell us the fucking truth about what the hell is going on here!”
Gail folds her arms. “I’m done with what I have to say. I’m only looking out for ye, Colin. You’re as dear to me as my own father is. When I found out that they were lying to ye, I couldn’t stand it. You deserved to know the truth about your own son, especially with what time ye have left.”
What a fucking bitch, I think, shaking my head at her, gripping Padraig’s hand so tight that I my nails are leaving marks. If she really cared, she wouldn’t have said anything. Poor Colin looks like he’s about to have a heart attack for real.
“I’m so sorry, dad,” Padraig says to him, pleading with so much shame in his eyes. “I just wanted ye to think that I had it all together. I wanted ye to know I was doing well, that I had all the things that mam wanted for me. I thought if I brought a girl home and told ye we were getting married, maybe ye could be proud of me or happy or something. Anything, dad, I would take anything from ye.”
This is so fucking heartbreaking to watch.
His father shakes his head slightly, his fingers curling around the edge of his table cloth. “You lied to me. You lied to me on my deathbed.” He looks at me. “Both of ye did. You wanted the fucking ring and I gave it to you and you … you …” He takes in a shuddering breath, eyes wide.
Oh god.
“Colin,” the nurse says, still standing beside him, her hands on his shoulders. “Colin, please take it easy. Deep breaths.” She looks over his head at Agnes. “We should probably take him to his bed.”
“I’m not going anywhere!” he barks with a surprising amount of strength and slams his fist on the table, making the silverware jump. “How dare ye do this?