Lydia's Point Of View
"Didn't you also have your own daughter out of wedlock?"
The question didn't just hang in the air.
It struck... like lightning.
I saw the reaction before my father even spoke. His shoulders stiffened sharply, like someone had driven a nail straight through his spine, with a sledge hammer. His eyes widened for a fraction of a second before narrowing again, dark and furious.
"Shut it, Rita!"
His voice came out low at first. But the anger in it was unmistakable. "Shut it." I noticed something else then. His eyes moved. Not toward the window. Not toward the door… Toward me.
A quick glance. Cautious. Careful. Like he had suddenly remembered I was in the room. My chest tightened. "Enough," he said again into the phone, louder now. "You've said enough." His hand moved quickly toward the phone.
