“Hello, Dad.” She said it more to annoy him than anything. He probably didn’t want anyone knowing about that pesky daughter he’d abandoned a couple of decades ago. Even all these years later, she didn’t understand his venom toward her. She’d never done anything to wrong him, but it wasn’t worth trying to figure it out after so much time had passed.

He pointed to a side office and ushered her in there, shutting the door behind them. She stood with her arms crossed.

“What do you want, Kate? Money?”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m not giving you money,” he said with more anger than she’d anticipated.

“I don’t want your money, Paul,” she said, accentuating his name. Now, she was mad.

“Then why did you come here?”

“I’m beginning to wonder that myself,” she said, walking toward the door. “No, you know what? I’m not leaving that easily.”

“Do you really want me to call the cops, Kate?”

She paused for a long moment, remembering why she was there. She no longer needed this man to be her father. She needed information, the truth.

“No need to call the police. I came here to ask you a question. That’s it. Once I walk out that door, you’ll never see me again.”

He blew out an irritated breath. “Fine. What is it?”

She looked at him carefully, hoping he’d actually tell her the truth for once in her life. “Am I adopted?”

Paul looked more than a little surprised. “Yes, you are.”

And there it was. The truth, finally after almost four decades.

“Why keep it a secret from me?”

“I said I’d answer one question, Kate.”

“Oh, come on. Don’t I at least deserve to know basic information about my own life, Paul?”

He sighed and sat down in his creaky, fake leather chair. “Fine. Sit.”

She sat down across from him, taken by how incredibly messy the man’s desk was. It looked like a mish mash of old receipts and trash from twenty years ago. He lit up a cigarette, which made her want to run screaming from the building since she was highly allergic.

“Your mother and I were in love for a time. A short time. We found out she couldn’t have kids, and to save our marriage, we agreed to adopt.”

“So I was just a means to save your marriage?”

“Yeah. And for awhile, it worked. We were so focused on you, we didn’t have to worry about the fact that we’d grown to despise each other.” She’d forgotten just how brash and unfeeling this man could be.

“And then you left.”

“Look, I don’t want to hurt your feelings, but I just didn’t feel that connection with you. And when I met Carol, I knew I could have a real family with her. My own flesh and blood kids.”