Page 126 of Blue Gold

“I’m sorry?”

Looking up, she glared at me. “You think I’m an idiot, don’t you? Looking for the bathroom, my ass.” She tsked. “At this point, the least you can do is stop lying.”

I gawked at her, my jaw going slack as her words fully set in. When I realized what she’d just said, it felt as if the floor dropped away beneath me, leaving me to skydive without a parachute.

“Given your shock, I understand that he didn’t tell you that I know?” Her mouth thinned with displeasure. “Having lies so early in the relationship is a bad thing, Daniel. Although I assume it’s a given, considering how the relationship in question started.”

“Claudia—”

“But what would I know about giving relationship advice?” She snorted. “I was married to a liar for years and didn’t know until he cheated on me with a kid.”

A sharp, hot spike of anger stabbed through my core, and I forced my hands into fists.

“He’s not a kid.”

“He’s twenty-one, for God’s sake. Nineteen when you met him.” She huffed, eyes not leaving mine. “He’s more suitable to be Catherine’s boyfriend than yours,” she hissed, and I was embarrassed for even trying to correct her to begin with, because she was right.

“He’s mature for his age⁠—”

She cut me off with a short laugh. “I see your father taught you well, huh? What else? Was it just a fling that got out of hand? You felt lonely in our relationship and needed to fill the void? One cocktail that led to another and you woke up in his bed? Wait… You didn’t knock him up, did you?”

While my father had used those lines more times than I could count, my love for Elliot was genuine, and the fact that she implied it resembled my father’s affairs in any way was an insult. I knew Elliot was young, but our connection ran deep beyond age. And as cliché as it sounded, he’d taught me more about myself and life than anyone ever had. Therefore, Claudia’s rage, as justified as it might be, wouldn’t change that fact.

Ignoring her previous statements, I asked, “When did you find out?”

“A while ago.”

“So why didn’t you say anything?”

“I needed time to find the words… which I still don’t have, if I’m honest.” Her voice dripped with spite.

I sighed, moving my hand over my face. “How did you find out?”

“Would it help if I said?”

I realized how much I’d hurt her when she used my own words against me, as this was the same thing I’d told her when she asked me who I cheated on her with. But always being the kind one between us, Claudia went on answering my question.

“If you must know, I went to our jeweler to clean my wedding ring. I guess old habits die hard, right?” She huffed, tucking one loose curl behind her ear. “While there, he said a new pair of sapphire earrings just arrived, one that would be perfect with the sapphire necklace you bought for me last year. You can imagine my confusion, because what necklace… and then it hit me.” She snapped her fingers. “You did buy a gorgeous sapphire necklace, just not for me.”

Shocked that this was how my secret got out, I stared at her, completely dumbstruck. Thinking about it now, buying Elliot’s gift from our jeweler truly was an idiotic decision on my behalf, but it never crossed my mind that Claudia would find out this way. Now realizing how disgustingly arrogant I’d been, there was nothing to say.

“That beautiful, blue sapphire… It really does match his eyes, doesn’t it?”

My pulse was increasingly high as cold sweat covered my skin. Nervous, I gulped while loosening my tie.

“W-what about my father, does he know?”

“What about me?” she snapped, voice a bit louder. “The ink has yet to dry on our divorce papers, and yet here you are, living a new life with a man, no less.”

Startled, I looked around to check we were still alone.

“So, I’m asking, what about me, Daniel?” She sniffed, tears in her furious eyes. “How did this even happen? When did it start? Was any part of our marriage even real?”

Every question she had was valid, and yet, overwhelmed by all of it, I found myself without a single answer. Instead, I continued to stare at her hurt expression. There was no way for me to fix it, no outcome without her getting further hurt, because the truth was that I did lie to her for years.

Just then, the door to the room opened and closed, and a paramedic walked out. Noticing Claudia and me in the hall, he nodded at the two of us before moving on.

And while I was eager to go and see Elliot, I knew I first owed Claudia the truth. As unpleasant as it might be.