Page 240 of Vexatious Queen

“I’ll let you know when I’m going next,” he said, and we fell silent, each lost in our own thoughts.

I’d always secretly thought that Paul was in love with Ella. He’d never said a word to me, but it was the way his eyes lingered when she wasn’t looking and how he smiled a little brighter when she was around. It had made me believe that one day I would hear they were dating, but it never happened. Then Ella met Ethan, and the rest was history.

“Paul, I keep asking everyone this question, so I feel like I have to ask you, too.”

“You want to know if what you did was worth it,” Paul said, reading my mind. He’d always been able to do that.

“Yuli, there is literally nothing I can say, good or bad, that you will find satisfactory, because what you’re looking for can only be answered by you and your daughter.”

I ran my finger along the smooth edge of the glass as I stared into the brandy, wishing for simple answers that would never come.

“How is it that you’ve always been so smart?”

“I don’t know about that, but I can tell you this…I wouldn’t be sitting in this chair right now if it weren’t for you,” Paul said, and I looked up into his eyes.

“What do you mean?”

“Your friendship gave me the confidence to become more than just the quiet kid living in Ed’s shadow, or the loser bullied by Lawrence, or even the nerd who knew everything in class. You made me feel seen. You made it okay for me to be me. I wouldn’t have been here to help Ren if you hadn’t helped me years earlier.”

“I…I never knew that,” I said, wiping a tear from the corner of my eye.

“I know. You couldn’t have known in that moment that treating me like a friend and not a freak would turn into this friendship that has spanned so many years. And you certainly cannot expect to know every outcome of what you’ve done.”

“That’s not terrifying at all,” I said, and Paul smirked. “Have you seen her since the dinner?”

“I’ve seen her, but she has not seen me. She’s doing okay. Ren is tough, but I’m not surprised with you and Eddie as her parents.”

“You do know that you sound like a creepy stalker, right?” I smiled as he burst out laughing.

This felt good. It felt right. It reminded me that my past wasn’t just filled with sadness and pain.

“Technically, I am a creepy stalker. It’s in my job description…minus the creepy part.” Paul used his glass to point toward his closed door. “If they only knew how much I actually know.”

I shook my head, finished my drink, and set the glass down. Then, I took a deep breath and sighed.

“Will you show me to my daughter’s room?”

He shook his head.

“You’re serious? You really aren’t going to let me see her?”

“Pfft. Nonsense, by all means, visit your daughter. But I’m not going with you.” Paul chuckled. “You’re completely on your own for this one.”

I rolled my eyes. “Alright, what is her room number?”

“Five-eighty-seven,” Paul said as I stood.

That can’t be right.

“But that’s…why is her room in the boy’s wing?”

Paul leaned back in his leather chair, the look on his face far too smug for my liking.

“Her room is not in the boy’s wing, but that’s where you’ll find her.”

He lifted his glass in a mock salute and then finished the drink.

“What aren’t you telling me?”