A Perfect Fit

32

"Suzanne, he deserves to know the truth," Andrew Burke exhales. "I thought we'd agreed to tell him."

My gaze darts between the two of them, an uneasy feeling overtaking my chest. "What truth?"

Mom squeezes her eyes shut and a teardrop trickles down her face. "I'm so sorry, Jackson."

I stand up from my seat, feeling my breath being caught in my throat. "Sorry about what?"

Mom shakes her head and her voice comes out as a tiny whisper when she speaks again. "It only happened once and it was a mistake."

What mistake? What the fuck is she talking about?

"How could you say that our son was a mistake?" Andrew exclaims.

My body instantly freezes and it's as though the air has been sucked out of my lungs. Slowly, I bring myself to face Andrew, hoping to catch any sign that he's joking right now—but there's none. My mom's expression is grim, and it confirms that this is anything but some kind of prank.

Our son.

"What did you say?" I slowly repeat. I know I heard him loud and clear, but when you're told something you would never have expected, denial is always the easiest route.

Mom lets out a sob, and I turn to look at her, disbelief coursing through my body when I realize what this new revelation means. "You cheated on Dad?"

Another teardrop trickles down my mother's cheek. She's not even bothering to deny it right now.

I take a step back and face Andrew again, a rush of anger replacing my denial from only moments ago. "How could you betray my father like that? He was one of your closest friends."

"Jackson—" Andrew begins.

"How can you even look at me at work every day?" I cut him off, my voice getting louder.

Andrew is silent, and so is my mother. Now when I look at her, it's as though I can't recognize her anymore. The woman who used to make my lunch every day when I was younger, who poured so much love into my upbringing and childhood, who was always supportive of me and everything that I'd do.

Hurt, confusion, and betrayal pool through my body, threatening to overtake all my emotions. It turns out that she'd been putting on a mask the whole time. A facade.

"How could you do that to Dad?" I ask, my voice coming out as shaky.

And then it hits me—the endless arguing and fighting at my parents' house before they got divorced, and the hurt look I'd seen on Dad's face so many times. "Did he know?"

More silence follows, but sometimes, silence itself is an answer. And in this case, it confirms everything I need to know.

"Your dad sent you away to London because he didn't want you to find out about the affair," Mom sniffles. "Not when it was a crucial time in your schooling and when you would have been preparing for college applications soon."

Her words are like a blow to my chest. I'd resented my dad for sending me away to boarding school when he only had good intentions.

Fuck. I was a terrible son.

"I have to go," I exhale, and promptly head for the door.

"Jackson, please," Mom cries.

I turn around and run a hand through my hair in frustration. "Please don't follow me."

"Give him some time and space," Andrew sighs.

Not wanting to hear either of their voices any longer, I briskly head out. Outside my office, I can see my team members staring at me wide-eyed, shock plastered across their faces. They've probably overheard the conversation just then, and now everyone knows.