If Dimitri wasn't hovering around me, Sydney was. Anytime I went to the printer station and needed to grab another package of paper, she would jump up and get it for me. After the second time I had to lift something that weighed more than five pounds, I narrowed my eyes at her.

"I'm not going to break."

"You were hospitalized for pneumonia that came on in less than twenty-four hours and came back to work two days after being released. Take it easy," she said and I raised my brows at her.

"Thanks, Mom," I teased and she pointed her finger at me.

"Keep it up and I'll tell Tracy in reception to stop fielding your mother's phone calls," she threatened. I wasn't sure just how serious she was, but I wasn't about to call her bluff. I slunk back to my office and drank my tea.

Dimitri was in a conference call, and while he would have had me taking notes, I was still coughing so much that I would interrupt. So now I was waiting for him to bring back his recorder and then I could dictate notes from the recording.

Just as Dimitri was walking back into the office, Sydney scurried past the office.

"I swear, I didn't call her!" she hissed as she went to her desk. I raised my brows and looked at Dimitri, but I understood as soon as I saw the flaming hair through the glass.

"Oh, God," I whispered and stood up, sipping my tea so I wouldn't start coughing when I talked.

"Mom," I said when she breezed into the office.

"Rosemarie. You'd been hard to reach," she said as she crossed her arms over her chest. I bit my lip and nodded, looking at Dimitri to save me from this unbearable conversation, but had also said a few times that I needed to face my mom.

"Yeah, been busy," I said plainly and Dimitri rolled his eyes before clearing his throat. I looked at him and he sighed, extending his hand towards my mother.

"I see Rose is going to be difficult about this; I'm Dimitri," he said. I was a little surprised when she shook his hand politely before stepping forward and giving him a somewhat awkward hug. It was almost comical to see a barely five-foot woman hugging a six-foot-seven man. Dimitri's brow raised but he returned the hug.

"You're hugging him?"

Janine pulled back and looked at me with irritation. To everyone else, Janine Hathaway was a well-regarded, kind woman. But to me, we had always had a touchy relationship. We had good moments, but not all the time.

"I'm not angry that you're married, Rosemarie. I'm angry that you didn't tell me. Or, let me know beforehand. I would have wanted to be there, even if it were something small. You're my only child," she chastised, but it wasn't harsh. I could hear in her words how upset she was about it.

I bit my lip as I walked over to Dimitri's desk and picked up one of the picture frames. We did have someone take our pictures after we left the civil ceremony, more for us to look back on. I found my dress at the same store along with our original wedding bands. It was short, coming down to my knees. It poofed out like a ballgown dress but had a satin overlay that smoothed out the skirt. The dress sat just off my shoulders and had a gorgeous sweetheart neckline.

I took the dress to a tailor to have some of the crinoline removed so that I could wear it again and again. I almost wore it today, but decided on a skirt instead. The dress came with a small front face veil. It was vintage but modern and sexy, but respectable all at the same time.

Janine took the photo and looked at it, pursing her lips at it. She looked up at me and her lips quirked before she handed it back.

"You look beautiful," she said softly.

"Thanks, Mom," I said as I set the photo back on Dimitri's desk. Janine crossed her arms over her chest and looked at me with a pinched brow. I wouldn't say it was a concern, but it was the closest her expression would get to it. She was a master of not showing any expressions on her face.

Dimitri gestured for her to sit on the couch and then pointedly looked at me. I followed suit and sat next to her, while he excused himself to go get another mug to make her a coffee. In usual fashion, she asked if we had any tea instead. She could never drink coffee, and growing up in Scotland, she preferred tea.

Not that the bagged tea we had in the kitchen here would be what she usually drank. But she'd take it over coffee.

"Lissa said that you were recently in the hospital. Are you alright?"

I nodded and cleared my throat. I stood up for a moment to down the last of my tea from my cold mug before sitting down again.

"Yes. I woke up feeling fine aside from being achy, but by lunch, I felt congested and had a fever. By dinner time, I had flu symptoms aside from the stomach problems. We went to bed, and Dimitri woke up to our dog whining beside the bed. I was wheezing in my sleep, my lips were blue and I was sweating bullets with a horrible fever. He called an ambulance because he couldn't wake me up. I had bacterial pneumonia. It sucked, and I still get a little out of breath. I'm on antibiotics and puffer still," I explained as I crossed my legs, resting my head on my hand.

Janine shook her head.

"It came on that fast? I didn't think it could."

"I guess it can come on as quickly as twenty-four hours. It sucked, but I'm okay now," I said softly with a small smile. "I saw Uncle Abe that morning. He told me to call you."

"He mentioned that," she mused as Dimitri came back into the office, two mugs in his hand. Dimitri handed one to Janine and then the other to me. I smiled at him and thanked him. He walked back to my desk and opened the bottom drawer, looking through my bag before coming back.

"It's time for your puffer," he said softly. I smiled at him and shook the inhaler before taking it, trying not to cough right away. I handed it back to him and he put it back in my purse.

"How did the two of you meet?"

"We met right after I broke up with Jesse," I said, "At the resort in the Bahamas."

Janine nodded and pursed her lips slightly as she watched Dimitri move around the office.

"There was something else that I wanted to discuss with you, but I feel that it's something we should have in private," Janine started but I held my hand up.

"I don't keep secrets from my husband."

"I wasn't suggesting that; I was merely saying not here. In this building. Would you be willing to join me for dinner on Friday? If you are feeling physically well enough for it?" she stated, but her eyes flicked towards Dimitri too.

Dimitri looked at me and I raised my brows at him before he nodded.

"Anything we can bring?" Dimitri asked.

I tucked my hair uncomfortably behind my ears. I hadn't been here since I moved out at eighteen. It was still the same; same salmon-coloured bricks, hydrangea bushes in the front. The only difference was there was a blue car in the driveway instead of a white one.

"It'll be fine," Dimitri soothed but I shrugged.

"What could she need to talk to me about that required a dinner?"

Dimitri shrugged and ran his knuckle over my cheek as we approached the front door. I wasn't sure I was to knock, or if I was to go in. I decided to do both, knocking before walking in.

"Mom?" I called out.

"In the kitchen," she called out.

"Do not eat the food if she made chicken. The woman can't cook to save her life," I whispered to Dimitri.

"Roza; you can't cook either. Your idea of cooking is frozen food or instant noodles," he pointed out and I slapped his abdomen softly. I led him to the kitchen and forced a smile, but was surprised when I saw Abe in the kitchen too, nursing a glass of red wine.

"I didn't realize you were coming too," I said as I set my purse on the counter.

"Yes," he said with a small smile, swirling the wine in his glass. He offered both of us a glass and I accepted it. I took a hesitant sip and looked around the kitchen. Whatever Mom made was simmering on the stove and I tried to figure out what I was going to choke down.

"I cooked dinner," Abe said after a moment and I nodded, sitting down beside him and crossed my legs. Dimitri sat down as well and we made idle conversation, but I could tell that both my mom and Abe were on edge.

Once dinner was ready, something similar to Shin and Guinness, we sat down at the table. The tension was so thick you could cut it with a knife. Dimitri and I exchanged glances, but neither of us mentioned it. My mother kept up the conversation, asking us about work and such. Dimitri did most of the talking, explaining how the company worked and how he came to own it.

But once that topic ended, and I had spent most of my time shovelling food into my mouth, Abe and my mother exchanged glances.

"Okay, how about you just rip the band-aid off? Cause the tension is killing me-"

"Abe is not your uncle, he's your father," Janine blurted out, making everyone at the table still.

Dimitri choked on his mouthful of food while my eyes widened as I processed what she said. I shook my head slightly before I looked at him and then at Janine.

"What?"

Abe glanced at my mom before reaching for her hand. I set my glass of wine on the table and wasn't sure I really wanted to know what they were going to say.

"We were young," Abe started and I bugged my eyes out at him.

"Really?! That's your reasoning for me not knowing?!"

"I wasn't ready to be a dad," Abe said quietly with a frown, "I panicked. I left for a few years and came back when you were about four. Your mother and I agreed that I would be the 'fun uncle' until it was time. And then, we could never find the right moment to tell you."

I crossed my arms over my chest and sighed, biting my lip as I shook my head. I didn't know what I wanted to feel. But all I could feel right now was betrayal and anger. Dimitri cleared his throat as I stood up, setting my napkin on the table.

"Rose?"

"I'm done. I can't stay," I said as I walked to the counter and picked up my purse.

"Rosemarie-"

"No. You lied to me for twenty-six years. You kept something that was fundamentally important from me. Information that I should have been told at least a decade ago!" I snapped before looking at Dimitri, "I'll be at the car."

I left without much more of a goodbye, trembling as I left the house. I felt like I wanted to scream and sob at the same time. I was livid, and heartbroken and all at the same time, I felt nothing. I felt empty.

I heard the click of the car unlocking and got into the passenger seat, putting my seatbelt on. Dimitri came out after a few minutes, getting into the car silently. He looked at me with a blank face but squeezed my knee sympathetically.

"What do you want to do?"

"I want to go home," I whispered, resting my head against the window. Dimitri nodded and started the car, pulling away from the curb. I crossed my arms over my chest and closed my eyes, sighing heavily as we drove.

We were silent as we drove, and we didn't speak as we rode the elevator up to our floor. I let us in and dropped my purse and keys on the table, kicking my shoes off unceremoniously. I walked straight to our bedroom and into the bathroom, shutting the door tightly behind me.

DPOV

Should I be worried? She hasn't spoken in three hours. – Dimitri.

She's processing. As long as she doesn't drown in the bathtub, she'll be fine. When in doubt, ply her with chocolate donuts. – Lissa.

I sighed and blew a breath from my lips. Rose was silent since we left her mother's house, and I heard the bath run about twenty minutes ago. She had locked herself in the bathroom and only opened the door when Meeko scratched at it.

I didn't have chocolate donuts, but I did have chocolate ice cream. I scooped some into a bowl and a glass of wine, heading towards the bathroom. I juggled the two in my hand and knocked on the door softly.

"Rose?"

She didn't answer but I turned the handle slowly, poking my head into the bathroom. She was in the tub, leaning against the end of it while Meeko laid in front of the tub on the mat. I walked in and she sniffled, a tear rolling down her cheek. I could tell that there had been many tears that had caressed those cheeks tonight.

I sat on the edge and rubbed Meeko's leg with my foot. I extended the bowl and glass to Rose. She blinked and looked up at me before sitting up, taking the glass of wine and finishing it in almost three gulps before taking the bowl.

"Do you want to talk?"

Rose put a mouthful of the ice cream in her mouth and shook her head, a few more tears rolling down her cheeks. I brushed a few from her face and she forced a tight smile.

"Do you want me to leave you alone?"

She took another bite and sighed deeply. She shook her head before nodding with a sniff. I stood up, understanding that she needed space to process this. It wasn't something small. She had years of memories that were now twisted with the truth. All the trips she took with her 'uncle' weren't trips with an uncle. It was a lot to comprehend.

I kissed her forehead softly and rubbed Meeko's head before leaving, closing the door behind me. It was another thirty minutes before she left the tub, dressing for bed and rubbing her special towel against her hair. I was dressed for bed too, leaning back in bed with a book that a writer was trying to get us to publish. If I was honest, it was quite addictive.

Rose climbed into bed holding her brush and a hair tie, her eyes red and puffy as she looked at me. I smiled softly at her and gestured for her to come closer. She loved it when other people braided her hair. It was soothing, and much easier for her than doing it herself.

Rose scooted closer and sat between my legs, tilting her head back so I could braid her hair. She had already applied all the products she used to keep it in the condition it was. I liked putting it on for her though, it was intimate in a way I couldn't explain.

It didn't take long for me to braid her hair and when she was done, I kissed the back of her hair. She glanced over her shoulder and smiled at me before smacking her lips, calling Meeko up on the bed. Rose climbed under the blankets and curled up to me, ducking her head under my arm while I held the manuscript.

"Feel any better?"

Rose shook her head. "Not really. I feel like a lot of my life is a lie."

I wrapped my arm around her while Meeko turned in circles before laying at our feet with a huff. I kissed the top of Rose's head as she got comfortable.

"I know nothing I say is going to make you feel better, or make the situation different, but tomorrow is a new day," I reassured her. She nodded and sighed, closing her eyes. It wasn't long after that when my phone buzzed against the nightstand.

Did you resort to bribery? -Lissa.

I smirked to myself.

Red wine and a bowl of chocolate ice cream. She's asleep now and let me braid her hair. – Dimitri.

I watched her bubbles move as she typed, smirking to myself as I read Lissa's message.

You pulled out a big gun. Tomorrow I'll come by and have her rub the belly. The belly always makes her feel better. – Lissa.

I set my phone down and then put my bookmark in the manuscript, switching off the lap. I shifted carefully to get in a more comfortable position. Rose rolled onto her other side and I followed her, wrapping my arm around her waist, and kissing her shoulder.