But Cora was too busy staring at the man to answer me. “She volunteered!” she cried.
“How did she even know what was going on with you?” he boomed, stepping past me as if I wasn’t there blocking his way, so he could enter the apartment as if he owned it. “Did I not strictly forbid you to have any more contact with her after you graduated from high school, after I sent you out here to get you away from her?”
Cora shrugged, looking only slightly repentant. “Oops,” she said.
“Damn it, Cora. How could you disobey me like that? And don’t tell me you were just curious what she was like. You had three years to get to know her. I know the only reason you brought her here was because you knew she’d be a match as a donor, don’t even pretend it’s not. How could you? Your mother and I sent you here because it hosts the best renal treatment center in the county. I hired a nurse to help you. We even pulled strings to raise your name on the transplant list. Why did you have to go after Zoey and drag her into it? She’s already been through enough because of us.”
“Hey.” I stepped between the two of them to get their attention. “What’re you talking about?” I wasn’t the type to butt in on a conversation, but tonight was just not my night to act like my usual self. “What is he talking about, Cora? And who is he?”
The man blinked at me as if remembering I was there. Then he noticed Asher, Noel, and Ten with an irritated scowl. Turning back to me because I’d been the one to talk, he said, “I think the better question is who are you? I’m her father, and if I learn you’re the one who gave her that black eye, I assure you, you’ll live to regret it.”
“I didn’t...” Wait. Huh? Cora’s father? That wasn’t what I was expecting him to say at all, though now that he’d said it, it made sense for him to speak to her in that authoritative way. But he looked way more like Zoey than he did Cora.
“I’m Quinn Hamilton,” I said. I’d never met Cora’s father before, I’d never even spoken to him on the phone, but after dating Cora for as long as I had, I was sure he’d at least recognize my name.
He didn’t. Cora had never even bothered to tell her own father the name of the guy she was dating.
He turned toward Cora for an explanation, so I turned to her for the same thing.
She sneered, meeting my gaze. “Surprise. You fucked sisters.”
“What?” Mr. Wilder and I said at the same time. We glanced at each other, both of our gazes full of accusation. Then we turned right back to her for clarification.