“For God’s sake,” I screamed, “he’s your son! Are you going to sit there and tell me you would push your own filth off onto him?”

“Call it whatever you like. Now aren’t you suddenly the loving and protective wife, once you’re sure of your facts!” She leaned forward in the chair, her eyes slitted. “He was my son and then he left and then you took him. I’m just taking back part of my own. We’ll keep Regina. You and Frank have each other, for whatever that’s worth now.”

Another shrill laugh from above, approaching the stairs. I looked up and saw Virgil descend. Then came Regina, wearing a pink satin robe. Behind her was a tall man with salt-and-pepper hair. He held her hand all the way down the steps. I turned and looked at Frank. He was leaning forward, his mouth open and his eyes frozen.

“Jack,” he whispered. His other brother.

Jack smiled and rested his arms on Regina’s shoulders so that his long fingers dangled near her breasts. His face was flushed, Regina’s hair snarled and sweat-soaked. For some time, no one spoke. Then Jack gathered Regina’s hair in his hands, twisted it into a tail, and laid it over her shoulder. He moved to the bar for a drink. Regina sat down on the arm of Virgil’s chair.

“Have you told them everything?” she said to Vivian.

“Yes.”

“Regina, don’t,” said Frank, his voice quivering. He put out his hands. “Come to me and we’ll take you home.” She looked at him blandly. “We’ll go home and forget all about this.”

“We’re not forgetting about anything,” she said. “I’m going to have a baby.”

“We’ll take care of that. We’ll get a good doctor. We’ll all go away if you want to.”

I listened to him beg, and I remembered my thoughts about betrayals earlier that night. The betrayals here had come in threes. He had been betrayed by his mother, his daughter—and his wife.

“We can go anywhere you want. We can go to California. You can rest on the beach. We’ll all feel better in the sun.”

Regina’s eyes shifted to Gloria and she gave her a once-over smirk.

“And later you can go away to school. It’ll be a new start. We’ll all start over again.”

“I’ve already made a start.”

“No, honey, they’ve tricked you. It’s not what you think it is.”

“No one’s tricked me,” she said flatly, shaking the hair from her shoulders. “You’re just jealous.”

“No, Regina, that’s not—” His voice broke.

My fingers moved farther under the flap of my purse. “Don’t you talk to your father that way.” I was crying and hating myself for it. I wanted my rage to be firm and awesome. Where was the rock?

“You don’t have to stay,” she said.

“Go and get dressed. You’re coming home.”

She looked questioningly at Vivian. Vivian nodded and said, “For the time being.”

Regina stood up and started for the staircase. She grinned at Jack.