I knocked on the door and it rattled partway open. I pushed it wider and peeked in. The apartment was clean and well furnished, the television entertaining an empty sofa and two cushioned chairs. Not what I had expected from the likes of a scumbag like Geoffrey.

“Willow?” I called.

The man who came around the corner was not the man I remembered from my past—so much had changed about him. A shaggy beard hid the cut of his jawline, and his head was bald and shiny. A few extra pounds rounded his face. The march of time could change a person’s looks, but instinct couldn’t be outsmarted. In my gut, I knew it was him.

“You’re Willow’s mom? Nice to meet you,” he said, hand outstretched. “She’s in the bathroom.”

I ignored his offer of a handshake. “You don’t remember me?” Not that I wanted him to, but how dare he forget.

“Should I?”

I pulled out my phone and flipped to a picture of Ryan. I lowered my voice to a fierce whisper so Willow wouldn’t overhear. “See this boy? He’s your son, you asshole. How can you stand there and look me in the eyes and have no clue who I am or what you did to me, to your son? You came, you conquered, you destroyed, leaving me to rot like a sack of garbage. I wonder if you’ve had one moment of remorse for all the misery you’ve caused, you son of a bitch!”

His expression remained impassive. His dark eyes flicked from the picture back to me. “Ma’am, I’d know if I’d had sex with a fine-looking woman like you or had a kid running around. You have me confused with somebody else. That’s not my son.”

Just then Willow came around the corner, her face downcast with remorse.

“What the hell, Willow?” I ran to her, scooped her into my arms. “Where’s Ryan? Did he have anything to do with this?”

“I don’t know where Ry is, Mom. I came here by myself.”

“Why, Willow?” I thought I knew why, but I wanted to hear her explanation.

“Ryan told me everything. You lied to us all. Ryan said you said he was a jerk.” She smiled apologetically at her host. “I wanted to see for myself, so I could tell Ryan what he was really like. So I looked on the internet, got the address, hired an Uber, and came here. That’s it, Mom.”

She made it sound so matter-of-fact. I had to admire her resourcefulness even while I cursed her foolhardiness. I looked at Faust and then back at Willow. “He hasn’t hurt you, has he?”

“Hurt her?” Geoffrey interjected. “Ma’am, I’ve let your daughter take over my apartment and extended her every hospitality.”

“He’s been super nice to me, Mom. Please don’t be mad.”