Assumpta turned to leave, and Patrick fought the urge to kick her arse out of the door. She had disappointed him in more ways than one. It wasn’t the pregnancy itself – he would have come to terms with that eventually – but his daughter’s disregard for her own child’s welfare, and her complete indifference to it had really shown him how selfish she was. He had to admit that he was ashamed of his daughters – both of them. They were cut from the same cloth, and so self-absorbed they couldn’t see further than their own needs and wants. He had grown up with nothing; they had been given all they could desire from an early age. His girls knew the price of everything, but the value of nothing.

There was poor Josephine Flynn, who had more right to motherhood than this whore of his, and yet she had lost child after child, denied the one thing that she craved. Well, his Assumpta was finally going to learn the harsh realities of life. She was going to have her child and, if she had any nous whatsoever, she would finally understand about consequences.

He had heard all the tales about his daughters. Declan had given him the gossip, so he wouldn’t hear it from strangers. He had been shocked but, more than anything, he had been so hurt. That he had unknowingly harboured such poisonous vipers, such vacuous females, had really shown him the truth of his life. Carmel, God love her, had trusted them implicitly. She was even more outraged than he was about their exploits.

Everyone around him had known about his daughters, and the lifestyle they had chosen to pursue, while he was left in the dark. It was the worst kind of betrayal for a man like him who prided himself on never being taken unawares. He had no option but to face it, hold his head up, and front it out.

But if anyone ever had the nerve to say anything to his face, he would kill them without a second’s fucking thought. He was going to find out who the father of his grandchild was, and the names of every single man who had taken his daughters to bed behind his back. Patrick’s reputation was everything to him; it was something he had to fight for, and he would do exactly that.

Chapter Thirty-Five

Chapter Thirty-Five

‘Listen, Pat, this has all got to stop, mate. You are making a fucking fool of yourself.’

Michael Flynn was asking for trouble, but he had no choice. Patrick was out of control, he seemed to have completely disconnected from reality. He had never seen anything like it in his life.