Chapter 15 - THE FAMILY THAT SOLD HER OUT|
I reached my parents' house in less than twenty minutes.
Giovanni insisted on coming with me, but I asked him to wait outside until I understood what was happening.
He agreed, although I could see how much he disliked it.
Inside, my mother was pacing in the living room. My father stood near the fireplace. Sophia sat on the sofa, still wearing the cardigan she had worn at the wedding.
Tyler was there, too.
He held a folder.
"What are you doing with my daughter's records?" I demanded.
Tyler smiled.
"Relax, Jessica. I was only trying to help."
"Give them to me."
"Your mother asked me to look into Lily's school situation. There are concerns about her stability."
I turned toward my mother.
"Why?"
She looked uncomfortable.
"Tyler said you were involved with a dangerous man. We thought it was important to know where Lily spends her time."
"You had no right."
"Don't speak to me like that," she snapped. "We're your parents."
"Then act like it."
Tyler opened the folder.
"You're living with a mafia boss, Jessica. You think that makes you a good mother?"
I stepped toward him.
"Don't use my daughter to threaten me."
He smiled.
"Nobody is threatening her. But people should know what kind of environment she's being exposed to."
Sophia stood.
"Tyler, stop it."
He turned toward her.
"Stay out of this."
She looked at me.
"Jess, I didn't know he had the records. I swear."
I believed her.
My mother approached.
"Jessica, listen. We don't want Lily taken away from you. But if you keep associating with Giovanni Fioraldi, people will start asking questions."
I looked at her.
"Who told you that?"
She hesitated.
"Richard Moretti."
There it was.
Moretti had used my family to get information about me.
I took the folder from Tyler's hand.
He resisted.
"Give it back."
"No."
He released it.
"You're making a mistake."
I looked at him.
"You abandoned your daughter before she was born. You married my cousin. You called her a mistake in front of two hundred people. And now you're pretending to care about her safety?"
His face darkened.
"She isn't my daughter."
"You're right. You gave up that right when you walked away."
My father stepped forward.
"Jessica, enough. Tyler has a family now. You need to accept that."
I stared at him.
"His family? What about mine?"
My mother began crying.
"We've tried to help you."
"By telling people I'm unstable? By giving a stranger my child's school records?"
Tyler laughed.
"You're proving my point."
Sophia moved between us.
"Get out, Tyler."
He looked at her in disbelief.
"Sophia, I'm your husband."
"And I'm not going to let you use my sister's child to impress your business partners."
Tyler's face turned cold.
"You'll regret this."
He walked toward the door.
Before leaving, he looked at me.
"Ask your new boyfriend why he was at the wedding. Ask him why he wanted everyone to see you with him. You think he chose you because you're special?"
I said nothing.
Tyler leaned closer.
"He needed a respectable face beside him. A single mother with a family connection was perfect."
Then he left.
I looked at Sophia.
"Did you know he was working with Moretti?"
She shook her head.
"I found some emails on his laptop. I thought they were about a business deal. Then I saw your name."
She handed me her phone.
There was a screenshot of a message from Tyler to Moretti.
Jessica will be at the wedding. If Fioraldi shows up, make sure he sees her alone. He'll do anything to avoid looking weak in public.
I read it again.
Tyler had known Giovanni would be there.
He had deliberately left me isolated.
And the cruelest part of the night—the insult about Lily—might have been designed to provoke me into accepting Giovanni's offer.
I felt cold.
Sophia touched my arm.
"Jess, I'm sorry."
I nodded.
"I know."
Then I looked toward the front door.
Giovanni was waiting outside.
May you like
I had thought he had chosen me.
Now I wondered whether my ex-husband had chosen me for him.
