Dan ran a hand through his thick hair and sighed. ‘I told you Dad and I aren’t close? Well, it’s more than that. He definitely favours Gemma and Ben over me. They’ve got an idea for the business, he listens. They need a boost up for something, he gives it to them. The only time I ever got a handout was when he gave me and Tessa a deposit for this place for our wedding, whereas he’s always throwing extra cash at Gemma and Ben. And it’s always been this way, even as a kid—the baby of a family is supposed to be spoilt and favoured, but not me. If Gem or Ben did well at school, Dad showered them with praise and rewarded them somehow, but if I did well, he barely even noticed, never mind made a fuss.’

Although it was a grown man standing before me, I couldn’t help seeing the little boy he’d been, and my heart felt heavy that any child could be made to feel that way.

‘Gemma and Ben reckon it’s because he associates me with Mum’s death. And while I thought maybe that was true, there’s always been something else I couldn’t quite put my finger on. It’s like when he looks at me, the first feeling I see is loathing and then he quickly covers it up. I’ve always felt like a disappointment to him.’ Dan sighed. ‘Ben’s more of a man’s man, like Stephen. They’re always the life of the party. They love getting drunk, belching and yelling at the TV over football and car-racing, whereas I’ve always preferred being outdoors or, if I have to be inside, watching nature programs. Told you I was a nerd,’ he added.

I gave him the briefest smile—whatever he kept saying, there was nothing nerdy about him.

‘I always just assumed I was more like my mum, but maybe there’s more to it than that? Maybe I’m not anything like Stephen because he’s not actually my father.’

I pondered this possibility. Now that I thought about it, Dan didn’t bear much resemblance to Stephen, Gemma or Ben at all.

‘It would certainly explain his apathy towards me,’ Dan said.

‘But that would mean he knew. You think your father has suspicions you’re not his biological child?’