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I wrap my arms around his waist and squeeze him back.
“I wanted to talk to you about something,” he adds when I pull away. Maybe he’s finally decided to divulge the secret he’s been keeping from me.
“Go on,” I say.
He takes a deep breath. “So, while you were…asleep, I found out something really mind-blowing.” His eyes lock onto mine. A chill runs down my spine, but I nod for him to continue.
“What is it?” I almost shout when he doesn’t. My patience is very thin these days.
“Before I tell you, promise you won’t get mad that we’ve kept this from you.”
My eyes widen. “We? Who’s “we,” Dimo?”
He grimaces. “Everyone.”
I gape at him, indignation rising within me.
“Aria, you were in a fucking coma. We weren’t just going to tell you life-changing information as soon as you woke up.”
“Well, you told me about Baba,” I retort, the pain of his death still very present.
“That’s not something we could’ve really kept hidden. Either way, he wanted to wait until you were better.”
“He?”
An exhale. “Our half-brother.”
For a moment, I can’t process what Dimo said. The words echo in my mind, refusing to make sense. My heart flutters, a wave of confusion and disbelief washing over me. A half-brother? Without thinking, I jump off the bed, legs shaking.
“What? How?” I manage to stammer, my voice higher than usual. My mind races, trying to piece together this new information.
I’d overheard Dimitri say something about a brother when I was still unconscious, but I would’ve never imagined that we had another sibling. What. The. Hell?
“I had the same reaction when I found out.”
This is fucking jarring.
“His name is Atlas.”
“Atlas,” I repeat, letting his name linger on my tongue. The name sounds awfully familiar. But my memory has been hazy ever since I woke up from my coma.
“He’s a few years older than you. Father’s first-born. Bastard.”
“He had an affair on Mama?” I ask, the word feeling foreign.
He nods. “She didn’t know. He hid it well.”
I sink back down onto the edge of the bed. “So, all this time, we had a brother, and Baba never told anyone?”
“That’s correct,” he replies.
“Does he know about us?” I ask, my voice faint.
“Yes. He always knew but couldn’t contact us. He didn’t want to disrupt our lives. Though, now he’d like to meet you, to be a part of your life, if you’ll allow it.”
I sit in stunned silence, my mind whirling. How could our father cheat on our mother and never once mention another sibling? Where was he hiding him this whole time?
“I don’t know what to say,” I admit, looking at Dimo with wide eyes.
