CHAPTER HUNDRED AND THIRTY

RICHARD’S POV

“An illegitimate son?”Amelia’s grandfather echoed.

"Yeah," I said, trying to sound nonchalant. "Turns out, I’m kind of… his kid, anyway." I mentally cringed, wishing I had a shot of whiskey. Or ten. Amelia squeezed my hand reassuringly under the table. Her touch was the only thing keeping me from bolting out of the room.

Amelia’s grandmother looked like she could curdle milk with a glare and narrowed her eyes. "Kind of?" she practically hissed. "What on earth is 'kind of' a son? Are you a half-baked loaf of bread, boy?"

I took a deep breath. “Okay, fine. Not ‘kind of’. I’m his illegitimate son.” There. I said it again. The words hung in the air like a bad smell. Amelia’s parents exchanged nervous glances. Her aunt choked on her tea, sending a spray of tea stains across the tablecloth. This was going great.

Silence descended upon the room, punctuated only by the ticking of the grandfather clock in the corner. I could practically hear Amelia's grandmother's blood pre