Page 120 of Wicked Promises (Fallen Royals 3)
“Inevitable,” Dad murmurs.
“You think so?” Caleb slides his sleeve back down.
I check Caleb’s expression. He’s thoughtful, and not… not as judgmental as I would’ve expected.
“What happened between you and my dad?” he asks.
And there goes that ‘not as judgmental’ thought.
“Norah told us that you used to be friends,” I blurt out.
Dad’s eyes widen, then he chuckles. “So, you’ve been playing detective?”
I shrug. “Had to figure out the truth somehow.”
“Okay, Margo,” he says, nodding. “Ben, Josh Black, Phil Mardzen, and I were best friends in high school.”
“Wait,” Caleb interrupts. “You were best friends with Coach Mardzen?”
Dad smiles. “Is he coaching now?”
Caleb crosses his arms over his chest.
After a second, Dad shakes his head. “I moved away to go to college in Massachusetts, which is where I met your mother. When we moved back to Rose Hill, I was… significantly different. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the only one. Ben and Josh had split from Phil just after graduation. He wasn’t even in Rose Hill when I moved back. Ben and Lydia were dating, and things were pretty serious. Norah and Josh had gotten together, too. Everyone was shocked when I brought Amberly home, newly engaged.”
I tilt my head to the side. “What about you being disowned?”
A laugh bursts out of Dad’s mouth. “Yes, that’s true. My mother was not happy with my pick of a wife.” He sobers quickly. “She died a few months after our wedding. I only just found out about it after I was put in here.”
I sober, too. “I would’ve liked to have met her.”
He smiles sadly. “The last letter I sent her that she would’ve received was the one in which I told her Amberly was pregnant with you. I sent more after that, pictures and stories, but… The letters were never returned to me, so I assumed she read them.”
“How was my parents’ relationship?” Caleb asks.
Dad levels him with a look. “The adult perspective?”
“They argued a lot,” Caleb says, attention fastened to the table, “late at night, when they thought I couldn’t hear them.”
“They had some trouble,” Dad allowed. “Obviously, Margo’s mother didn’t help the situation any.”
“You say it with such ease,” Caleb says, finally raising his head. He leans forward. “You say that your wife was cheating on you like it doesn’t even bother you, when in reality, you’re in here for murder.”
“Let it out, son,” Dad says, motioning for Caleb to give him more.
“How do you live with it? I found Dad in his room—” Caleb sucks in a ragged breath. “When I look at you, all I can see is my father’s blood.”
“We were friends. I’ve never laid a hand on him, and I certainly didn’t kill him.”
It’s about as serious of an admission as… well, as admitting to murder. He’s already in prison. He doesn’t have anything to lose.
Caleb stares at the ceiling, blinking rapidly.
I hate that he’s so bothered by this.
“Dad, when did you first meet Tobias?”
“After I was arrested. Amberly had just…” He shakes his head.