TIFFIN 4

9

HERO'S POV

Utter bullshit.

After all I'd done the past year and this was how she re-payed me? Kicking her loyal husband out on the street.

Yes, I had invited Diedre to the wedding and that entrance into the bathroom hadn't helped matters, but really.

Didn't my grandmother have the right to pave a way for change.

She'd explained it all to me the evening I'd set up that plaza debacle.

Could remember it well...

________________________________________

"Excuse me sir, but you'll have to calm down."

I stared at the event coordinator, holding up his clipboard like some uptight elite.

"I am calm. Just want to know why the hell this event was in my records."

"A Ms. Tiffin coordinated it."

What in the fresh hell?

Just as my mind came up with about a million questions pertaining to his response, familiar talons tapped me on the shoulder.

"Hero. Dear grandson. It's lovely to see you again."

Fuck.

Swiveling to eye the evil sloot, I drug us to a far end of the plaza which was near to impossible.

Fucking event workers were littered like damn ants.

"This was you?"

Diedre swung her head back to emit uncomfortable laughter.

"What, didn't think this could have been Kristina's doing?"

For good reason this made my blood boil.

"Keep my wife's name out of your mouth. She was right all along; you not only stole an innocents childhood but kidnapped another innocent."

Yep.

Kylie was definitely too good for all this.

Even everything I put her through.

"Oh, darling." Diedre settled a hand on satin. "We're both aware of what happened between us. Never would I intentionally hurt you. Ever. Just loved too much. That is my only mistake."

Fuck. There it was again.

The pounding heartbeat.

The visible shakes.

The need to run.

But to also admit.

My grandmother loves me. She does. She just has so much to deal with...

"Diedre. What about my mother. Dorinda. That man you sold her to."

This made her scowl.

"Hero. When did you start referring to her as mother? After she chose to neglect for so long?"

No.

Couldn't let her in so easy.

"It was for my own good. Knew exactly what you had been doing to me."

God.

The wooden cupboard.

Her sexual camisole.

No... Please... Not today.

This only made Diedre smile even wider, like the cat who got the cream.

"And yet we found ways around it, right? Listen. Maybe I didn't treat you good back then. But it's different now."

She paused to survey the calamity around us.

"Look at what I got together. Truly care about your future... Wife and all. Want to fix things. This is what you'll do: come up with a loving gesture for your two girls and I'll do the rest."

This still didn't make sense.

"Why?"

She must have understood the hint within my question because she continued.

"This is true love. Many families go through hiccups; some more severe than others. But it is not normal to cut ties when the member was only trying to help."

Oh.

Help. Yes.

She did lose her husband all those years ago and never once did I think about how she thought about my loss for grandpa.

"Okay."

_______________________________________

Now here I was, thirty minutes later, holding the Iphone up to my nose.

Diedre Tiffin.

The contact was a make or break situation. If Kristina caught wind of it even existing...

But what choice was there.

Pressing on the number, I waited until the tell-tale noise of the receiver was audible.

Fast.

"Hero. Was a pleasant surprise."

One. Two. Three.

Breathe.

"Yes... Um... Think you could pick me up for the night? Need a place to stay."

So sorry for this reveal you guys 😪😪

But it had to be done.

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