Unknown Forces by Samantha Hicks

Author:Samantha Hicks [Hicks, Samantha]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Romance
ISBN: 9781988588162
Publisher: Affinity Rainbow Publications
Published: 2019-06-29T16:00:00+00:00

Chapter Nineteen

Riley stood with her arms folded across her chest, staring at Richard sitting on the sofa. She could see the resemblance to herself in his features. She tried to tamp down the anger that rose within her. “Can I get you something to drink?” she asked, giving in to her manners.

Richard smiled. “No, thank you. I’m fine.”

“Why are you here?”

“As I said, you won’t talk to your moth—Angela. She’s been devastated since she left your father and wasn’t allowed to see you.”

“And as I told her, that’s bullshit. She could have found a way if she wanted to.” This was starting to piss her off. It was a lame excuse. If her mother had wanted to see her, she would have. But she didn’t. She had run away, away from Riley. She wouldn’t be able to forgive that.

“I’m hoping over time you’ll see that wasn’t the case. John was a difficult man.”

Riley put her hand up, palm forward. “Please don’t.” She didn’t want to hear this stranger talk about her father. If Jennifer hadn’t been here tonight, she would have slammed the door in his face. But he was here, and there was only one question she wanted answered. “When did you find out about me?”

“Angela saw the announcement in the paper, and when I read John was survived by his only daughter, named Riley, I put two and two together.” His eyes were intense when he said, “My middle name is Riley.”

“That’s a bit sick, isn’t it? Naming me after you, and Dad having to call me by your name all these years and not knowing it?” No wonder her father had thrown her mother out; Riley would have too. If he had figured out his daughter was named after her biological father, he would have been devastated.

“It probably wasn’t the way to go about it, but Angela wanted us to have a connection. She always thought you were mine and she never thought the truth would come out. As she told you, we had an affair, it wasn’t serious, she loved your father, and staying with him was what she wanted.”

“Why didn’t she tell you about me, who I was? Surely you knew my name.”

“She told me your name was Daniella. I had no reason to doubt that.” He looked sincere enough.

He was answering her questions without pause, no subterfuge in his mannerisms, keeping eye contact. He was telling her the truth, she was sure of it. She thought for a moment about what to ask next. Might as well get all the information I can. “When did you get together?”

“After John found out, she came to me, heartbroken. I was there for her, helping her, and things progressed. Eventually I told her I loved her, and she said the same.”

“What about me?”

“She wanted to tell me about you but didn’t know how. If I had known you were my daughter, I would have tried harder. I would have spoken to John, tried to reason with him. You won’t want to hear this, but he really wasn’t a nice man.

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