“Does six o’clock work?” Suzy asks me, and I look at my calendar to be sure I don’t have anything pressing so I can pick Quinn up from the airport.

“Yeah, that’s good with me. Did you run it by Quinn?”

“I did, she’ll be able to leave work early.” My dad pops his head in, working out of our office all week, and to my surprise, he’s been pretty cool.

“Quinn coming here?”

“She is—Friday.”

“All right. Well, I should be getting the draft back of the documents. I wanted to go over them with you when they come in if you have time.”

“Of course. I’ll have time.”

“Great, I’ll have Suzy add it to your calendar as soon as they come in.”

“Thanks, Dad.” My phone rings, and we both glance down at it on my desk. It’s Quinn. “I’ll let you take that,” he says, and as he leaves, I can’t help but think, maybe now he’s becoming the father I lost all those years ago.

“Hey, babe,”

“Guess what?”

“Ummm, I have no idea, just tell me.”

“I got us tickets to the Nuggets game next weekend.”

“Again?”

“Yep, same courtside seats too.”

“Man, how did I get so lucky to snag your fine ass?”

“I could say the same thing.” My phone vibrates, and I pull it away, noticing a text from my dad. “Hang on, babe.”

“‘Kay.”

As I open it up, it’s a video. The whole world around me freezes as I click “play.” Betrayal like no other takes over, and I can’t believe my eyes. It’s Quinn and my dad…together.

Vomit rises in the back of my throat, and I try to hold it back, but as I watch the woman I’ve grown to love have sex with my own father…I lose it, gagging and throwing up in my trash can.

I drop my phone to the floor, her voice as she says his name sounds just like when she says mine, and I don’t want to believe what I’m seeing. It can’t be true…can it?

“Mr. Smith, are you okay?” Suzy asks, and I shake my head holding on to the can. “Close the door,” I shout and right away she does. Pulling myself together enough to speak, I pick my phone back up; Quinn is still there, and I ask her, “When were you going to tell me, or were you?”

Very calmly she says to me, “You have to let me explain everything.”

“Explain? There’s nothing to explain. You lied to me.”

“I didn’t mean to.”

“Goddammit, how do you accidently lie to someone, Quinn?”

She sobs, and as much as I just want to hang up on her, I have to know more. How? Why? When? “You’ve gotta talk to me, Quinn, or I’m gonna fucking lose my mind. My father just sent me a video of you having sex with him, and it’s all I can think about.”

“He was in Denver for a meeting way before I knew you. I met him when I was out having drinks with some co-workers.”

“So you slept with him? A man double your age?”

“I’m so sorry, baby.”

“Am I dreaming?” And I ask, “Is he your ex?”

“Yes. He’s the one you emailed, but you have to believe me that I didn’t know you two were related.” What the fuck? Am I hearing her right?

“My dad?” I repeat softly; tears are in my eyes and that vile feeling of despair reeks inside of me. Closing my eyes, the usual beautiful vision of her face—that not long ago was my salvation—has been destroyed. All I can see is her and my father.

“I’m so sorry, Merritt. I had no—”

I cut her off, “We have the same last name and work for the same company. How did you not know?”

“I didn’t even think about the last name…Smith is so common. And you know I kept my hands out of the deal when I signed him. You have to believe me, Merritt. I promise, baby.”

“But you slept with him, Quinn, and then sat at breakfast in California and acted like everything was normal, like you two were strangers when he…he’s been inside of you and then I was inside of you. How am I supposed to get past that?” Saying the words makes me fucking ill again.

“I don’t know,” she says, and I don’t know either…I can’t be with someone who would lie right to my face. A coincidence or not, she wasn’t honest about this, so what else has she lied to me about?

“I can’t be with you anymore.”

“Please, don’t do this. You have to believe me. I love you, Merritt,” she begs me and her words sicken me, how can she even say that or ask me that?

“I fucking loved you too, and you ruined that. Goodbye, Quinn.” Pressing the end button on my phone is the hardest thing I’ve ever done. I’ve lost half of myself. What I thought was the good half, my Quinn, was all a lie, and my dad, how could he? Getting up, I roll up my sleeves and storm towards his office, ready to make him pay. He didn’t need to send me the video; he could’ve told me, man to man. And she had even more chances to tell me.

My insides are a mess. A complete fucking mess! Anger fills me, everything that I once thought was my foundation and I could count on has all been a lie. If they could keep this from me…what else are they hiding?