Chapter 23
twenty-three
QUYNH
O NE WEEK LATER
Q uynh was in heaven.
Or, at least, this was what she imagined heaven would be like.
For the first time in her life, she was truly happy. Like a soul-deep, goofy smile at random times throughout the day, happy.
Was this what being in love felt like?
She didn’t have anything to compare it to, but she imagined this was what the romance books she loved to read were trying to capture.
Quynh was no pessimist; rather, she was a realist. But the past week was one of the best weeks of her thirty-two years of life. She wished this feeling would last forever.
The past week, she spent more time with Griffin outside of work.
After he’d fucked her thoroughly in his office, they wrapped up the workday.
He’d followed her upstairs and waited while she fed Pickles.
She hurriedly packed some of her clothes and essentials, the unspoken agreement she would spend the night with him.
One night turned into a week.
Each evening started out the same. They’d go for a walk around the lake while dinner cooked in the oven.
When dinner was ready, they’d sit across from each other, sharing little tidbits about their lives with each other.
Before dinner was done, though, they took turns as to who would make the first move to leap across the table.
The entire evening, sitting across from each other, was like foreplay. Of course, playing footsie under the table only ratcheted their desire. He’d nearly snapped her toe when she started rubbing her foot on his hard cock under the table.
Griffin was insatiable. She did not know where his energy or vigor came from, but she was not complaining. Most nights, he’d make her come first. Alternating between his mouth and fingers, or, if she was really lucky, both.
Quynh appreciated the foreplay to prep her for his girth.
She did not want to risk being split in half by his giant appendage without proper prep.
She was starting to think he had a breeding kink, too.
He never missed an opportunity to come inside of her.
She wanted to attempt to give him a blowjob, but she needed to work on some jaw exercises.
Or learn how to unhinge her jaw in order to handle his sausage link .
Every night, they fell asleep wrapped in each other’s arms to the soundtrack of a quiet countryside. Exhausted but content.
Quynh was getting used to how calming living away from the city was.
It certainly helped that she had her own giant teddy bear to keep her company at night, though she missed Pickles’s presence something fierce.
She made it a habit to take more frequent breaks to check in on her feline friend.
Pickles pretended like he didn’t miss her, but when she was putting on her shoes to leave again, he’d make a frantic dash to curl his fluffy body around her ankles.
She needed to make more of an effort to stay at the apartment so Pickles wouldn’t be so lonely.
In the past week, Griffin drove her to her father’s place a few times. Each time she showed up, Cindy was always delighted to see her. She wasn’t sure what the nature of Cindy’s relationship with her father was, but she was nice enough.
Most of the time, she’d find her father already waiting for her in his sitting room. She ignored the way he seemed to become more and more frail as each day passed.
Their conversations were usually pleasant. Quynh talked for the most part since talking took a lot out of him. He always listened attentively to every word she said as if she led such an interesting life when really it was probably the most boring thing to recite .
Still, he missed nearly every important event in her life.
Quynh ignored the way his eyes glistened as he listened to her tell him about the time she nearly tripped when she went to shake hands with the dean during her undergraduate ceremony.
Or the time her heel broke off during her graduate ceremony, so she walked across the stage without shoes.
He’d nod along to her stories, offering warm smiles when appropriate.
Today was no different. Quynh was enjoying a cup of coffee Cindy brought her, knowing how she liked to have a little afternoon pick-me-up. She finished telling the story of how she came to adopt Pickles.
She vowed to never leave him behind, though guilt pierced her at how often she had stayed at Griffin’s place the past week. She’d have to spend more time in her temporary apartment.
“Quynh.”
Her father’s raspy voice brought her back to the present. She looked at him curiously. He rarely talked when they were together since it took so much out of him. She noticed he looked particularly lively today. There was more color to his cheeks, and he seemed to be sitting up straighter.
“Your mother…”
Her eyebrows raised as she waited patiently for him to say what he needed to say.
“I…I loved her…very much. ”
Quynh’s lips parted.
“I’m s-so sorry. I tried t-to find you. After…”
She knew what he meant by after. Her mother packed their bags and left in the middle of the night after the incident at the park.
After a moment, he huffed out a breath of frustration. This was the most words he’d spoken to her since she started visiting him.
“I love you, Quynh.”
The words were clear. Not punctuated with gasping breaths.
Quynh didn’t know what to do. A part of her had been waiting to hear those words for so long, but her chest tightened as tears pooled in her eyes. A high-pitched noise filled her ears as she thought of all the pain and suffering she and her mother went through in the years following the incident.
The right thing to do was to probably forgive him. She knew he wanted her forgiveness before he met his maker.
Am I ready to forgive him for everything?
“Oh, um, I should get going.” She plopped the coffee mug on the table a little harder than intended. Quynh winced as some coffee spilled over the edge. “Shit.”
She used the napkins to clean up the mess she had made before bowing her head and making a hasty retreat.
“I’ll…uh…I’ll see you soon.”
Typically, Griffin would drop her off and come get her after about an hour. Today’s visit was shorter, so she didn’t expect Griffin to show up for at least another few minutes.
She hid in the sitting room. That’s where Cindy found her pacing the floors.
“Are you okay, dear?”
Quynh jumped at the sound of Cindy’s voice. She hadn’t heard her approach.
“I’m fine.” Quynh shook out her hands.
What’s happening to me?
“Is it alright if I sit with you for a moment?” Cindy didn’t wait for an answer before she sat down gracefully on the loveseat.
Quynh stopped her pacing and sat down across from Cindy. It was an awkward silence as they both took each other in.
“I don’t mean to overstep, but…you see, I’ve been with Arthur for most of his life.” Quynh stopped breathing as she watched Cindy. She must be having some internal struggle as her lips twisted in a thoughtful pout.
“You see…you and I…we’ve met before…before this,” Cindy gestured vaguely at Quynh. “You were probably too young to remember me. That’s okay, dear, but I used to take care of you when you were a baby.”
Quynh’s stomach bottomed out.
“Your mother and father met when he was in town doing business. Love at first sight, I imagine. They were both young, but times were different back then. Your mother being…well…you know…of a different ethnic background…it just wasn’t allowed.”
Quynh knew what Cindy meant. Interracial marriages were illegal until 1967.
Her mother and aunt were both Vietnamese refugees who came to America looking for work.
The sisters had to leave their parents behind, though they always sent money back home to their family.
Quynh never got to meet her grandparents. They died when she was young.
From what she recalled from her mother’s stories, the sisters were together for the first year but eventually separated to pursue different job opportunities.
Her mother went east, while her aunt went west. They remained apart for nearly a decade before Quynh and her mother showed up on her aunt’s front step.
“Your parents tried to keep it a secret, but your mother became pregnant. She had to work long hours, so she would leave you with me when you were a babe. Eventually, she could take you to work with her.” Cindy continued.
“Your grandparents were furious when they found out, naturally. They tried to keep it a secret. They gave your father an ultimatum. Either he joined the family business, or they’d make your mother disappear.
Now, I don’t pretend to know what that meant, but it scared your father an awful lot.
He joined the family business, and his father made it a mission to keep him away from your mother as much as possible.
That meant he was frequently sent away on business trips. ”
Quynh listened with her heart in her throat. This was all so much to take in. She grew up most of her life thinking her father never wanted her in his life. To find out maybe he didn’t have a choice was…devastating. It threatened to fracture everything she believed to be true about her world.
“That summer…before you and your mother…disappeared…your grandfather had forced your father into an arranged marriage. A business merger, really. Sara was a widow with a little girl, Ruth. The marriage was important for the family business.”
Quynh’s memories brought her back to the fateful day in the park. How confused she had been when she saw the little blonde girl calling her father, ‘daddy.’
“He tried to find you and your mother for years. It was like you had vanished into thin air.”
Something wet splashed against the back of her hands. She realized she was crying. Quynh reached up to wipe away the tears. Cindy leaned over and handed her a handful of tissues.
“For what it's worth, I’m so happy to see you again.”
Quynh’s lips thinned in an attempt at a smile. She couldn’t think of a proper response.
What am I even supposed to say to such a bombshell?
Griffin’s approaching truck rumbled in the distance. She almost jumped out of her seat. She was so grateful to hear the familiar rumble as it made its way to the front of the house.
She sniffed and wiped her tears away, thanked Cindy, and took off to meet Griffin in the driveway.
His truck barely pulled to a stop before she ripped the door open and hopped in. Griffin looked at her. His face tightened at what he saw, but he didn’t say a word. She was grateful for the reprieve, however brief it may be. He’ll probably grill her for answers later.
But right now, she needed a break from the emotional roller coaster.
Quynh felt lost.
Was everything I thought I knew a lie?