I was hoping you’d never find that,” he said, voice hoarse.

I sat across from him. “I need to know.”

His eyes glistened as he looked at me.

“Claire… I’m not just your father-in-law.”

The silence pressed in around us.

“I’m your biological father.”

My heart stopped.

“I was young. Evelyn and I fell in love, but her family arranged for her to marry another man. Someone wealthier. More acceptable.”

He swallowed hard.