To ruin an Omega novel Chapter 495

Chapter 495: Good spirits 2

FIA

I didn’t know what to say to that. The weight of his words pressed against my chest, making it hard to breathe.

"I couldn’t even guess you were remotely connected to Pauline."

My heart stopped.

"What?"

"The call I had with my father-in-law revealed that." He let out a breath that crackled through the phone’s speaker. "Your mother was a lost apple of Northern Ridge’s Nocturne, and because of Pauline, she didn’t get to live a decent life."

The pieces clicked together with sickening clarity. He knew it all already.

"She never got to live it with you either."

The accusation hung between us. Father didn’t deny it.

"I know." His voice cracked on the second word. "It seems what I deserve is to be alone."

I hated the way pity unfurled in my chest at those words. I hated that some part of me still cared enough to feel sorry for him. Because there was no greater suffering than bone-deep loneliness, and I knew he spoke the truth.

He’d lost everything. Both his wives and his daughters. He stood in the ruins of his own making, surrounded by ghosts and regrets.

"There will be a triple funeral tomorrow at Nocturne." He cleared his throat. "With Pauline, Hazel, and Isobel."

"Why Nocturne and not Silvercreek?"

"Your mother suffered in life." The statement came out gentle, almost reverent. "It would be cruel to let her rest with someone who brought her pain. I’m not that heartless."

I closed my eyes. Felt the car take a curve, my body swaying slightly with the momentum.

"It’s also clear that your grandfather wants you to be there."

Of course he did. The grandfather I’d never met, who’d only recently learned of my existence. Who’d discovered his unknown daughter had an unknown child and that he’d been kept from knowing about them for decades.

"Though I know you’ll refuse."

"No." The word came out before I’d fully thought it through. "I will be there."

Silence greeted my declaration.

"On my mother’s memory and my grandmother’s memory, they would want that."

The pause stretched longer this time. I heard him breathing, heard the faint sound of movement like he’d shifted position.

"I’ll see you there then."

Another pause came. This one felt heavier somehow, weighted with all the things we’d never say to each other.

"For what it’s worth, I hope you have a good life, Fia."

The line went dead.

I lowered the phone and stared at it for a long moment. The screen dimmed, then went black. My reflection stared back at me from the darkened glass, my eyes were hollow and my expression was blank.

"Fia." Cian’s voice pulled me back. "What happened?"

I turned to look at him. His attention stayed fixed on the road, but tension radiated from every line of his body. His jaw was set, shoulders rigid, hands still gripping the wheel like he needed something solid to hold onto.

"Hazel’s dead." The words felt strange in my mouth. "So is Isobel."

He didn’t react with surprise. Father must have told him that much during their brief exchange.

VERIFYCAPTCHA_LABELVerify