Ashley smiles, blinks, and says, “I’m sorry. I have baby brain since the triplets were born. Have we met?”

“We have not,” I say. “But this meeting is long overdue—”

“Lainey—” Tyson cuts in with a low voice. “Maybe you want to speak to Ashley in private?”

“No, thank you, Tyson,” I curtly reply. “I think everyone should stay for this.”

Ashley and Sharon exchange an intrigued look before sitting down on the short wing of the sectional.

“So, Dad,” I say, feeling my nervousness turn to anger. “Would you like to tell your wife and daughter why I’m here? Or should I?”

Ashley looks at me, then him, then back at me. “Dad?” she asks, her voice rising.

“Yes. Dad,” I repeat.

She looks back at her father, then says, “Why did she call you that?”

He clears his throat, takes off his glasses, and wipes his eyes.

After several seconds of silence, I look at Ashley and say, “Perhaps I can help him explain. Your father had an affair with my mother. Resulting in me.”

“Dad? Is that true?” Ashley asks, her voice shaking as her face turns white.

I glance at Sharon, feeling a stab of guilt. I know that none of this is her fault—or Ashley’s, for that matter. I also know that I’m being needlessly cruel. I can’t stop myself, though, years of grief and anger pouring out of me.

“Well, I wouldn’t count on him for the truth,” I say. “My mother sure couldn’t. He told her that she was the love of his life. And yet here we are—” I gesture grandly around the room.

“That’s enough, Lainey,” Tyson says under his breath.

I feel an ounce of remorse as Sharon runs out of the room, but the pound of hatred for my father outweighs it. Especially when he has the gall to get up and follow her without a word to either of his daughters.

Ashley’s eyes are steely as she stares at me. “Why did you come here? What do you want from us?”

“I don’t want anything—” I say. “My friends convinced me to come meet my sister.”

“You’re not my sister,” she says, her voice ice cold.

“I’m afraid I am,” I say with a laugh.

“Ashley. We’re sorry…. We didn’t know your parents would be here,” Tyson chimes in.

“Yet she still chose to make this announcement in front of my mother?” Ashley spits back at him.

“Welp,” I say, clasping my hands together for effect. “I figured I might as well get everything out in the open.”

“You came here to hurt us,” Ashley says, staring at me with pure disdain.

“That’s not true,” Hannah pipes up, surprising me. “It wasn’t her intent to hurt you. She’s been very hurt by your father’s actions, too.”

“What about her mother?” Ashley spits back at Hannah. “She’s the homewrecker here.”

“Ha. That’s rich,” I say, glancing around the room. “Your home looks far from wrecked.”

“You’re a spiteful person—which I assume you got from your mother. Tell her I said congrats. Mission accomplished.”

“My mother passed away four years ago.”

“Am I supposed to say I’m sorry?”

“I don’t care what you say.”

“C’mon, y’all,” Hannah says. “All else aside, you’re sisters.”

“Like she already said, we aren’t sisters,” I say, getting up from the sofa and giving Ashley a disdainful shrug. “We just happen to share the same asshole father.”

“Get the hell out of my house,” Ashley says.

“With pleasure,” I say with a smile, then calmly walk out the door.

—

“Well, that went swimmingly,” I grumble on the way back to the car.

My heart is racing, and my hands are shaking, but I also feel vindicated. I knew all along this was going to backfire, and I was right. Absolutely nothing good came from it, except for finally bringing my father to justice—and even that wasn’t worth the way I feel now.

Hannah gives me a furtive glance. “I’m so sorry, Lainey.”

I can’t tell if she’s apologizing for how shitty the whole scene was—or for her role in suggesting it in the first place. Either way, I just shake my head and say, “Whatever.”

I wait for Tyson to chime in with an apology of his own—or at least an acknowledgment that I was right; this was a terrible idea. Instead, he strides ahead of us, gets in the car, and slams his door shut. He’s clearly pissed—and I have a feeling that it’s not at Ashley, or even my father.

“What’s his problem?” I say under my breath.

“He’s just upset for you,” Hannah says.

“Well, he sure has a funny way of showing it,” I say, climbing into the sweltering backseat and slamming my door harder than he slammed his.

“I’m so sorry, Lainey,” Hannah repeats as she fastens her seatbelt. “That was awful.”

“A total fucking shitshow,” Tyson scoffs as he turns on the ignition.

“Yep. Just like I told you it would be,” I say.

“You made sure of that,” Tyson snaps at me.

I stare at the back of his head, fuming. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

He looks over his shoulder, glaring at me. “It means, you couldn’t have been any less tactful.”