“It’s already forgotten,” I responded as Armen walked out of the room and into the adjoining dining room.

I followed him and then sat in the chair that Armen had nodded at. Elias sat next to me, and his presence was more soothing than I cared to admit.

“That’s good to hear,” he said. “Because I was…rougher with you than I should have been, but now that I’ve been fully informed, we can get beyond that.”

He looked at me expectantly, but I couldn’t say anything and didn’t know what to say anyway.

I’d been lying when I said that what he had done was forgotten, but now wasn’t the time or place to press the point.

I didn’t know that there ever would be.

I had no power in this, so all I could do was toe the line and hope that was enough.

“I really do apologize for that unpleasantness,” Armen said when I didn’t respond. “But it proved to me that you’re tough, and that’s important. I wouldn’t accept anything else in my son’s life.”

He sounded almost sincere, looked earnest as his gaze shifted between Elias and me.

“You are in his life, aren’t you?” Armen said, though he was looking directly at Elias.

I forced myself to drop the spoon I’d been playing with and tried to mimic Elias’s cool demeanor. Watched them out of the corner of my eye, though I kept my gaze glued on the tablecloth, tracing the intricate pattern, reflecting on how prim it looked, how it wasn’t something I would expect from Armen.

Prayed for something to fill the silence, to break the tension that was steadily building.

But Elias didn’t respond to Armen’s question, and Armen didn’t say anything else.

Which left the burden to me.

“Of course, I’m in his life. We’re engaged to be married. He even gave me your mother’s ring,” I said, extending my hand.

I had no doubt the man had seen it first thing, but showing it again wouldn’t hurt. And maybe it would be a distraction from how tentative I sounded, though I didn’t count on that.

“Then I guess it is serious,” Armen said, not seeming even remotely excited or intrigued by what I’d said. “Though I am surprised.”

“By what?” I asked.

This was something else Elias had mentioned.

His father would try to talk around him to get me to say something that contradicted our story.

I wouldn’t allow that to happen, so I waited for Armen to continue.

“The nature of your relationship was fuzzy, but if he intends to make you his wife, then I guess I don’t have anything to be concerned about,” Armen said.

“You don’t, and—”

My phone buzzed, and the vibration, while quiet, was still loud in the room.