“Thank you for coming and bringing leftovers,” Daphne said as she opened up one of the containers from Asher on her counter. The heavy scent of Thanksgiving leftovers filled Daphne’s nose. “Mm, my God, I missed out today.”

  “Warm me up a plate as well, would you?” Asher asked as he walked over to Daphne’s couch and pet Tanpopo.

  “Of course,” Daphne replied, pulling out another plate from her cupboard. She began plating the first batch of leftovers before popping them into the microwave and starting it.

  “Tanpopo is so adorable!” Asher exclaimed, scratching under Tanpopo’s chin, just the way he liked. Tanpopo was squeezing his eyes shut in pure bliss.

  “Right?” Daphne asked with a grin.

  “So, your mother really made you all leave without eating?” Asher asked. “Just because your older sister struck a nerve?”

  “Well,” Daphne replied, with a half-smile. “Struck a nerve is putting it mildly,” she replied. The microwave beeped at her and she removed the plate, stirring the food around on it.

  “What is she going to do with all of that extra food?” Asher asked. “That’s so much food for one woman…”

  Daphne shrugged and nodded as the microwave whirred back to life. “With Viola still living there, and Cy and his girlfriend staying there, I’m sure they’ll manage to get most of it eaten,” she said.

  “Your older brother, who stole your car, is staying with her?” Asher asked, his eyebrows raised high up into his hairline. She smirked at him.

  “My older sister confirmed that my mother bailed him out,” Daphne answered.

  “Does your mother ever take your side for anything?” Asher asked.

  Daphne let out a single laugh. “No,” she answered. “She never has, and I expect she never will.”

  He sighed loudly as the microwave finished again and she pulled out the plate. “That’s so fucked,” he said as she put the second plate into the microwave.

  “Yep, I know,” Daphne replied, pulling out a fork and walking the first plate over to Asher. “Careful, it’s hot,” she said as she put it down on the coffee table in front of him.”

  “Thanks,” he said. “It still seems pretty extreme to me that she made you leave without eating. What did your sister say anyway?”

  “Well…” Daphne hesitated a bit. “She confronted my mother about not even mentioning the conflict between Cy and I, and then proceeded to reveal to the whole table that my mother cheated on our father. Then, on top of that, she proved it through a DNA test that my youngest sibling is our half-sibling. I think that about sums it up.” Daphne nodded and looked over at Asher. His jaw was on the floor.

  “So, your older sister confirmed what was in the glitter bomb note?” Asher asked after he had taken a moment to compose himself.

  “Yes, she did. Now, all I need to do is determine who my little sister’s father is to be able to pinpoint the person who is most likely my killer.” She brought her plate over and sat down next to Asher on the couch.

  “Well, that’s great news. Your older sister will probably be looking into it as well, right?”

  “Probably,” Daphne agreed before taking a bite of the turkey, which melted in her mouth. “Oh my God,” she murmured. “This is delicious.”

  “I’m glad you like it,” Asher replied with a small smile.

  “My mom went way too far tonight,” Daphne added, dabbing at her lips with a napkin. “I am thinking it may be too dangerous to be close to her while digging into this, so I’m grateful that Maggie is looking into it, too.”

  Asher nodded. “That makes sense. God, your family makes me grateful for mine, despite all of the problems we have.” He shook his head. “Still, I’m so sorry you had to deal with that.”

  Daphne shrugged. “I wish I could just say it’s something new, but this is just kind of how it’s always been with her.”

  “Yes, I’m sorry you’ve had a shitty parent your whole life,” he said, meeting her eyes. “It could not have been easy for you to deal with.”

  Memories flooded Daphne’s mind. There were so few good interactions she’d even had with her mother. She felt a lump growing in her throat and she started blinking rapidly to clear the sting of her tears.

  “Thank you,” she croaked. “You’re right. It’s always been hard.”

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  Asher reached over and started rubbing her back in circles as a few tears squeezed out of Daphne’s eyes. What would I give to have a sane family? There are fewer things I wouldn’t give up.

  Her tears fell for a few minutes before she was able to get them under control. She looked up at Asher, who looked just as gloomy as she felt. I hope his Thanksgiving went well. Kind of seems like it didn’t.

  “How was your Thanksgiving?” she asked, wiping her eyes. “Sorry I got carried away talking about mine.”

  Asher shrugged, the sullen look on his face not budging. “It was the complete opposite of yours…it was entirely noneventful. Rose was pretty docile this year, since she and Landon are no longer together. Normally she would have been super lovey dovey with whoever she was dating in front of my father and I.” Asher scowled. “Otherwise, this year was quiet more than anything else. My dad and I get along alright, but he’s a pretty reserved man, so he can be pretty hard to talk to.”

  “That sounds like it was difficult in its own way,” Daphne murmured.

  “It was,” Asher agreed. “I was hoping that the woman my father has been seeing might come to Thanksgiving, but she wasn’t there either, so it just ended up feeling like a big time sink with little reward. All I kept thinking about was you…” He looked over at Daphne, their eyes locking. “…and how much I wished you were there with me.”

  “Maybe we should try to have Thanksgiving with just the two of us,” Daphne suggested.

  “You mean kind of like how we are now?” Asher pointed out.

  Daphne chuckled a little. “I suppose we are, aren’t we?”

  Asher smiled, but the energy didn’t quite reach his eyes. Daphne snuggled up against him, pulling him tightly against her. “It still seems like something is on your mind,” she observed.

  He let out a heavy breath. “The holidays are really hard without my mother,” Asher said.

  Daphne felt a pang in her chest before she felt a knot starting to grow in her stomach. She hadn’t even had the energy to think about her father all day, and how it was already the third Thanksgiving without him.

  “Yeah,” Daphne mumbled. “Nothing really can ease that pain.”

  Silence fell in the room for a moment. “…do you know…what happened to her?” Asher asked, the pain palpable in his voice. Daphne pulled back away from him. His face was serious and his eyes were vacantly staring off into the distance.

  “I only know what was in the news,” Daphne murmured.

  “So, you don’t know, then,” Asher confirmed.

  “No, I don’t.”

  He let out a sigh before closing his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again with the same vacant stare. “What happened isn’t public knowledge,” he said.

  Daphne felt her body tingling. Oh my God. Don’t tell me—

  “She committed suicide,” Asher said, meeting Daphne’s eyes again.

  She covered her mouth, seeing the tears form in the corners of his eyes. I can’t even imagine the pain. At least my dad didn’t voluntarily leave us. He would have stayed with us if he had been able to.

  “Oh my God,” Daphne said, finally getting her lips to actually form words. “I’m so sorry.”

  He shook his head at her. “Why would the great Vivian Hawthorne commit suicide?” he asked. “Even I wish I knew.”

  Daphne’s heart ached again. “You don’t even know why?” she asked.

  Asher pursed his lips, shaking his head slowly. “It happened about four years ago now, and Rose was the one who found the body. There was no note. The police looked everywhere in our house, and a note was nowhere to be found.” He swallowed hard, gritting his teeth as a single tear slid down his cheek.

  Daphne wrapped her arms around him and pulled him close to her. Her heart felt like it was going to burst for the man sitting in front of her.

  “So much changed that day,” Asher continued, his voice sounding constricted. “My mother was my hero, my biggest cheerleader, and my confidant. All of that was gone…” his voice broke as a sob tore its way out of his chest. “…in an instant,” he whispered.

  Daphne squeezed him tighter, at a loss for words.

  “Even Rose changed that day,” he said. “She’s never been quite the same, since. My father lets her get away with so much more than he should because she’s the one who found Mom.” He swallowed hard.

  “It sounds like your whole family really loved her,” Daphne said.

  “She was incredible,” Asher confirmed. “I’ve never met anyone else in the world like her.” He choked again and then cleared his throat. “She was a warm, soft, kind woman. She is the kind of person I try to be.”

  Daphne’s heart soared. “You are those things, Asher,” she murmured into his ear. “She would be so proud of who you are.”

  He coughed, another sob finding its way out of his chest. Daphne felt her own eyes pricking. He feels the way about his mother that I feel about my dad. Maybe even more so.

  “She was an incredible gardener, too. She grew fruits and vegetables as well as her flowers for the competitions. She told me people often would ask her how she did it, and she would say ‘it’s simple! Just take care of your plants as if they are your own children!’” He chuckled a little. “No one ever took her seriously though. So, it always looked like she was able to do so much more with so much less than other gardeners.”

  Asher sniffled for a few minutes while Daphne patted his back. He chuckled a little. “In the end, she was suffering greatly and told no one. I don’t even know why she was suffering so much that she wanted to die.” He sighed. “She was like that, though. Always putting others before herself.” Daphne pulled back from Asher and studied his face. He was shaking his head. “Rose took it the worst of all, though. It’s like time stopped for her that day…”

  “Have you talked to her about it?” Daphne asked.

  Asher nodded. “Of course I have. I’ve tried to tell her that Mother would only wish for her to be happy, but Rose always finds a way to rebuff me.” He let out a heavy breath.

  “I’m so sorry, Asher,” Daphne murmured. “There are never the right words to express grief…or to console the grieving.”

  Asher nodded, frowning a bit. “That’s true,” he said. He looked up at Daphne and smiled a bit. “Thank you for sitting with me through the grief.”

  “Of course, anytime,” she whispered.

  Daphne’s own heart had an icepick through it. I barely thought of my father today. And my father didn’t choose to leave. She bit down hard on her lip. I can’t imagine the depth of pain her death must have caused. But Vivian Hawthorne…suicide? Why? She was once the most successful gardener in the whole country!

  Asher wrapped his arms around Daphne and pulled her close. “You’re my favorite,” he told her.

  She let out a small laugh, wrapping her arms back around Asher. “You’re my favorite,” she said, squeezing him tight.