“Daddy had an affair and had a child? Envy is the product of Daddy’s affair. Ma that can’t be right. Daddy preached the importance of family, togetherness, and finding a perfect mate. He wouldn’t disrespect you or us like that. Would he?” Eve asked nearly on the verge of tears.

She was so caught off guard by her mother’s admission that she couldn’t make sense of the words. She didn’t want to believe it. She didn’t want to believe that her loving father could disrespect their family by bringing an outside child into their home.

Marie could see the genuine hurt on her daughter’s face. Her daughter’s, but especially Eve, had always been daddy’s girls. They doted on him as if he were a king. The knowledge that Everett Merci was nothing more than a flawed mortal was hard for them to accept.

“Yes, to all of the above Sweetheart. Yes, he had an affair and had a child. Yes, he would disrespect us. Men lie. I taught you girls that a long time ago,” Marie answered.

She refused to sugarcoat anything. The truth was the truth and what was done was done.

“Did you girls ever wonder why you weren’t allowed in our bedroom?” Marie asked.

“I assumed you didn’t want us in your marital space. My girls aren’t allowed in my room. They have their own bedrooms, a game room, and a lounge. My bedroom is Jason and I’s personal space. My room, my rules.” Eve said repeating the line that her mother repeated to her and Eden when they were children.

Marie chuckled dryly because she knew that’s what her children believed.

“I did tell you girls that didn’t I? That was a lie. The truth is after Everett brought his illegitimate bitch of a daughter here, I had the king-sized bed replaced with two full sized beds. I never wanted you girls to see that we slept separately because at the time I didn’t know how to answer the questions I knew two little girls would ask,” Marie said truthfully.

“I can’t believe that Daddy would bring his side baby home for his wife to raise. Who did he think he was Denzel in Fences?” Eden asked.

Marie chuckled. Though the 2016 movie had won several awards, because of that very scene, she could not bring herself to complete the movie.

“Ma, if you don’t mind me asking, how did Envy even end up here?” Eve asked.

Marie wasn’t flustered or caught off guard by her daughter’s questions. She was expecting them after telling the truth.

“Honey you are old enough to know that a man will do whatever he thinks he can get away with. Like Edy said, Everett brought that baby to me like he was Troy Maxson.