Page 15 of Merciless

Time stood still as my surroundings ceased to exist. I had always been told my mother had no family. Just another lie to add to the rest.

“What’s your name?” I managed to croak through my closing throat.

“My name is Eloise Tems. And I’ve been waiting so long to meet you, Colton. My grandson.”

Chapter 9

COLTON

Really? I silently questioned the universe. You couldn’t give me one day!

Every time I thought I was coming to terms with my chaotic mess of a life, I got completely totalled by a hidden landmine that I never saw coming.

Eloise—or Grandma, whoever the fuck she was—stared up at me with such a yearning expression that I couldn’t just tell her to piss off. What if she started sobbing? Or worse, what if she collapsed from shock or something? She looked frail, and I didn’t want to call an ambulance.

I was guided back to the booth we’d just vacated, and I was so caught up in my head that by the time I was sitting across from dear old Nana, Avery was bidding me a farewell and walking out the door.

Darcy soon took a second round of drink orders, then we were left alone.

Eloise kept staring, her gaze catching on each and every feature, as if cataloguing them into her core memory.

I cleared my throat. “Ah, please don’t take this the wrong way, but I didn’t know you existed. Why did my mother never tell me about you?”

She flinched, as if caught off guard by my direct questioning. A spark of guilt registered, but not enough to retract the words. I may have been young, but I had endured much those past few years that shaped me into the wary person I’d become.

With all the misery I’d experienced in my short life, I was adamant not to waste any more. I strived to be honest and loyal to those who deserved it. Hence why I judged others by the same standards.

Eloise bowed her head. “Colton, first off, please accept my deepest condolences. I’m so sorry for your loss.”

A twinge of discomfort ignited, making me grimace. “What do you want?” I asked, unintentionally blunt.

“I want to apologise to your father and make amends.”

“For what?”

“It’s a long story.”

“We’ve got time,” I said, flitting a hand to the twenty-four-hour sign above our heads.

I wasn’t budging. No half-truths, no secrets, or I was happy to walk.

She seemed to read my resolve, then inhaled a large breath. “Otto and I married young. After many years of trying, we finally fell pregnant with Bethany, our baby girl and only child. She was our everything, and we were hers… Until she met William.”

I lifted my chin, encouraging her to go on.

“Long story short, Otto didn’t like them together, which caused a rift between us. She loved William. We underestimated how much.”

“Why didn’t he approve of Da—William?” Hopefully, she didn’t catch that slip.

“To be frank, Otto believed he didn’t meet the calibre or standards that fit the Tems name.”

“In other words, he was poor?”

Her mask dropped in shame when she gave a subtle nod. “Yes.”

“What happened?” I asked, curiosity getting the better of me.

Her stare clouded over in memory. “Otto forbade her to see him again and inevitably gave her an ultimatum, us or him.”