Yes, Brian had a real good idea, but it floored him that Karen Sanders not only hated him that much but was willing to sacrifice her daughter's happiness to get what she wanted. That proved just how manipulating, deceitful and uncaring she was. But he still couldn't understand why getting him out of the picture was so important to her. Why was Erica's marrying Griffin Hayes an obsession with her?

"Yes," he finally responded. "I have a pretty good idea."

Chapter Thirty-Five.

Griffin didn't care how many times he visited Hawaii, he would always appreciate the island's beauty. After talking to Erica yesterday, he hadn't wasted any time booking a flight to California and then, after an overnight stay at a hotel in San Francisco, he had flown from there to Maui.

He rented a car at the airport and, using his GPS, it didn't take long for him to find the villa, which seemed to be situated right in paradise, amidst lush greenery, flowering plants and foliage. He didn't intend to leave until he found out the real reason April had decided to end things between them.

It was late-evening when he arrived but he pulled into the driveway, already lit by tiki torches. It was a huge two-story contemporary-style home with slate roofing, set against the ocean and mountains. His heart began beating faster at the mere thought that somewhere inside was the woman he loved. She had come here to escape him and he was determined to find out why.

After getting out of the car he took a moment to stretch his legs. Maybe he was a fool for running after a woman as if he didn't have a d.a.m.n ounce of pride. But at the moment his heart was his main concern and it didn't take much to be reminded that she had his heart wrapped real tight.

There was one thing he couldn't shake from his mind and that was what Erica had shared with him. She was not getting married. The wedding was not just postponed but had now been called off completely. Although she hadn't gone into any details as to why, he felt it had to do with something more than finding out her father was having an affair with her future mother-in-law. And whatever happened had occurred rather recently. He could tell the pain of her decision was still raw.

He hadn't questioned her about it, but if the reason she was no longer getting married was due to something other than her father's alleged affair, then Griffin could only wonder at the timing of the demise of both his relationship with April and Erica's relationship with her fiance. It might be just coincidental, a cruel twist of fate...or was it something else entirely? But what?

He thought about April's fears regarding Karen Sanders and shrugged them off. Like Erica had said, her mother had too many of her own problems to deal with to worry about his or anyone else's. Besides, what sort of trouble could one woman cause to two affairs? You would have to be a twenty-four-hour manipulator to accomplish that, and like he'd said, Karen didn't wield that much power.

He heard the sound of music when he made it to the door and couldn't resist the temptation of looking through the open curtains. His breath almost caught when he saw April sitting at the table in the kitchen with her reading gla.s.ses on and a book in her hand. She seemed totally absorbed in what she was reading. Now that he'd found her he was more determined than ever to make her tell him what he wanted to know.

With that single-minded resolution, he raised his hand to knock on her door.

April was so absorbed in the book she had purchased online a few days ago, Forbidden World of Incest, Forbidden World of Incest, that she hardly heard the knock at the door. She reluctantly closed the book but not before inserting her bookmark to pick up where she'd left off later. that she hardly heard the knock at the door. She reluctantly closed the book but not before inserting her bookmark to pick up where she'd left off later.

Now she was wondering if she was normal. All it should take was the realization that Griffin was her brother to stop her heart from being filled with so much love for him. No such luck. She had just finished reading the story of a couple who had married only to discover they were twins who'd been separated at birth. They had to have the marriage annulled. It was heartbreaking to read about and she could just imagine how the two must have felt once they found out. At least she had found out the truth, even if Griffin didn't have a clue.

As she made it toward the door she wondered who could be calling on her and hoped to G.o.d it wasn't her neighbor again. The woman was determined to be her new best friend and April just wasn't feeling it.

"I'm coming. I'm coming," she yelled out when the knock at her door became even more persistent.

She s.n.a.t.c.hed open the door. "Look, lady, I-"

Any other words she was about to say died on her lips when she looked into Griffin's face. She blinked, certain she was seeing things. When the image of him didn't go away she tried to jump back and slam the door shut. But it was too late. He reached out to stop the door from slamming on him and quickly moved inside.

"I didn't invite you in, Griffin," she snarled out at him. She couldn't help it. It was either be angry at him or throw herself into his arms and she knew there was no way she could do the latter. She knew then that she should have gone through with her first plan to fly to England and make him think she had picked up her affair with Green. The tabloids would have had a field day with that and she would have accomplished just what she wanted by putting an end to her relationship with Griffin. There was no way he would ever forgive her if he thought she was sleeping with him and another man. But a part of her just couldn't hurt him that way. Now she wished she had if it had kept him from tracking her down this way.

"Doesn't matter if you invited me or not, April. I want to know what's wrong, baby."

"Don't call me that. I am not your baby," she almost screamed. Then a voice inside her said, I'm your sister. I am your friggin' sister who is still feelings things for you that she shouldn't. I'm your sister. I am your friggin' sister who is still feelings things for you that she shouldn't.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, looking at her like she'd lost her mind.

"Nothing is wrong with me. Now please leave."

"Why do you want me to leave? I love you, baby. Let's talk this out."

"But you don't understand," she said in a choked tone, fighting back tears and anger as well as monumental heartbreak.

"Then make me understand why you don't want me anymore. Why you are willing to throw away everything. And you can't convince me that you don't love me because deep in my heart I believe you do. You've convinced me over the past six weeks that you do."

"But don't you see that I can't?" she said, with tears starting to stream down her face. "I can't."

"Why do you think you can't?"

She drew in a sob. Why wouldn't he just take her words at face value and be done with it? Why was he breaking down her defenses, her common sense, tenderness and kindness? She wiped tears from her eyes. "Because we can't."

"You're not making any sense, April."

She knew the only way to get through to him would be to tell him the truth, but she remembered Karen Sanders's threat and had no doubt in her mind what the outcome would be if she did tell him. She knew Griffin. He would not let her go. He would not release her so the two of them could heal from this unless he knew the truth. But first, he had to promise not to tell anyone-not a living soul. And he couldn't get mad at Karen Sanders for interfering in their lives. Although she might have had the worst intentions for doing so, in a way April was glad it had been exposed to her. She didn't want to think about what might have happened later if they'd been left clueless.

"Tell me, April."

Making her decision, she glanced up at him. "Fine. You want to know then I'll tell you, but you have to promise me that you won't tell anyone and, no matter what, you can't confront Karen Sanders about it."

He lifted a brow. "What does Karen Sanders have to do with it?"

"I told you that she would stop at nothing to break us apart. Well, she succeeded. Only sad thing is that we should appreciate that she did, or things could have been worse in the end."

An irritated look touched his features. "Baby, what are you talking about?"

Instead of answering him she walked off and went to the table to pick up the book she'd been reading and, squaring her shoulders, she returned to where he stood in the middle of her living room.

She handed him the book. "Here."

He took the book from her, read the t.i.tle and then glanced up at her with an even more confused look. "Forbidden World of Incest? What does that have to do with us?" What does that have to do with us?"

She fought back the sob that threatened to tear through her throat, but she couldn't help the tears that were determined to fall anyway. A part of her knew before it was over there would be even more tears. Tears she would shed for the rest of her life.

"April, what does this have to do with us?" he asked again.

She drew in a deep breath and said, "I'm your sister."

Griffin could only stare at her for a few moments and when she burst into tears and began crying uncontrollably he couldn't help but pull her into his arms, ignoring her attempt to resist him. A part of him was shocked by what she'd said, but another part of him was angry beyond belief. He was fighting hard to contain his rage, especially when he felt the wetness of her tears through his shirt.

"Did you hear me?" She pulled back to look up at him.

He reached up to tenderly sweep a strand of hair back from her face. "Yes, sweetheart, I heard you. Now, I want you to hear me. You are not my sister."

She jerked away from him. "Denying the truth won't help the situation, Griffin."

"Only because there isn't a situation. You are not my sister and Karen Sanders will pay dearly for lying to you this way. And the sad thing about it is that it almost worked. Trust me, we don't share the same father."

She stared at him for a moment and he saw the look of hope in her eyes. "How can you be so sure? Everybody knew your dad fathered outside children," she said softly.

"Yes, but he is not your father. And the reason I'm certain is because I know who your father is and he isn't mine. I promise you."

April's heart nearly stopped breathing. Could Griffin be telling the truth or was he refusing to accept the reality of what she had revealed to him? "How do you know who my father is when I don't even know?"

"I never knew that you didn't know the ident.i.ty of your father, April. I overheard your father telling mine what happened one night while he'd been drinking, how he forced himself on your mother and how she'd gotten pregnant as a result of it. He admitted to my father that you were his daughter, but that no one was supposed to know. He'd offered your mother money for an abortion but she refused to take it. He was pretty p.i.s.sed about that. And he had forced her to tell no one what happened and that he was the father of her child."

April didn't say anything. She just sat there and stared at Griffin. Was he telling the truth? As if that question shone in her eyes, he said, "I'm telling the truth, April. Honest. I was sixteen and the two men thought I was outside but I had been hiding out in the wine cellar so I wouldn't get caught sampling some of my father's wine. I was there hiding behind a few crates when they came down there to drink and talk. All these years I kept what I heard to myself, seeing no reason to mention it to anyone...until now. I was more than a little disappointed by what I heard because I'd always respected the man. But not anymore from that day on."

Her heart began beating. Had Karen Sanders intentionally lied, figuring April would never learn the truth because she was too afraid and ashamed to ask anyone for verification? However, if what Griffin said was true...

Anger flooded through her and she was consumed with rage. "Who is it, Griffin? Who is the man who forced himself on my mother, got her pregnant and didn't give one red cent about claiming me as his?"

Griffin reached out and pulled her into his arms. She could tell he was just as mad as she was. "I'm not sure you're ready for that information."

She looked up at him, clearly upset. "Don't play with me, Griffin. I want to know who he is."

"Isn't it enough to know it's not my father? If you want proof that we aren't related we can go get our DNA tested on Monday."

"Who is he, Griffin?"

It had become quite obvious that he was trying hard not to tell her.

"Tell me."

"Baby, I-"

She twisted out of his arms. "No, tell me now!"

He reached out and drew her back to him. "Okay. I'll tell you."

She felt his tight grip on her arm as if he was fearful she might collapse on her feet once he told her. He looked deeply into her eyes as he spoke. "Your father was Omar Delbert."

Her knees weakened and she all but crumbled in his arms. "That means..."

"Yes, baby. It means Karen Sanders is your sister and Erica is your niece."

"Here, baby, drink this." Griffin handed a gla.s.s of watered-down vodka to April.

"Thanks."

He then sat on the sofa beside her and took her hand in his. They didn't say anything for long moments and that was fine with him. He needed to chill a while and dwell on what had taken place and what had been revealed here tonight. What he'd said earlier was true. He'd had no idea she hadn't known the ident.i.ty of her father and, since the subject had never come up between them, he'd felt no reason to bring it up himself.

He had lived in Hattersville long enough to know that a lot of the people, especially those living in the Wellington Road area-the ones who had all the money and thought they ran the town-had all kinds of secrets and skeletons in their closets. He cringed at the thought of what some of those secrets might be and knew some were best left untold.

April broke into his thoughts. "Do you think that Mrs. Sanders knows, and that's why she has hated me so much all these years and resented my friendship with Erica?"

He glanced over at her. "I'm not sure, April. But what I do know is the lie she told you about us being siblings was cruel and heartless. Even if she thought it was true, to use it to blackmail you, force you to end a relationship with me, is as manipulative as she could get. And just like I lost respect for her father that day, I've now lost respect for her."

April shook her head. "I just don't get it, Griffin. Why would she lie like that? Why is she so obsessed with you marrying Erica that she would go to such extremes? I haven't talked to Erica since her mother's visit, since she threatened to reveal our biological connections if I did, but from some of the things Karen said, I know she is doing something to break Erica and Brian up, as well."

"She might have succeeded. Erica told me her wedding is not postponed but officially off. I didn't ask why."

Clearly angry, April let her voice grow louder. "Brian loves Erica, Griffin, and she loves him. What Mrs. Sanders has done is so wrong and she needs to be stopped once and for all. The woman is destroying lives."

Griffin reached out and pulled April into his arms. He knew what she said was true. Hadn't Mrs. Sanders tried destroying his and April's lives? "There has to be a reason for this obsession of hers," he said, feeling his own anger igniting once again when he thought about all he'd almost lost. What if April hadn't shared with him the reason she was ending things? What if they never got the opportunity to reconcile their issues? Ever? Sad thing was, Karen Sanders had been counting on that.

"Karen Sanders thought she had it all worked out," Griffin said. "She would get you out of my life, get Brian out of Erica's and then she would go to work on me and Erica and try to get us together...although, Erica and I have told her countless times that we don't feel that way about each other."

"It would not have mattered to her," April replied. "She figured with your and Erica's broken hearts, the two of you would have been glad to settle into a loveless marriage. Like hers. You would think with Mr. Sanders's affair she would have learned her lesson."

Griffin tenderly stroked her shoulder. "A normal person would have but not one obsessed with getting what she wanted, which brings me back to my earlier question. Why such an obsession?"

"Maybe she believes strongly in that curse that Erica told me about."

"My family knows about that curse but hasn't ever given it a second thought...except when Mrs. Sanders convinced my mother that my marrying Erica was crucial to our way of life. My mother has pretty much accepted my decision and got off my back about it years ago."

"Then I don't know what to tell you, Griffin, and I don't want to think about what she will do or the lies she will tell when she finds out we're back together."

He heard the trembling in her voice and knew Karen Sanders's visit had done a number on April, sent her into an emotional spin. And he doubted he would ever be able to forgive the old woman for doing that.

"I need to talk to Erica," he said deeply. "Once I tell her what her mother has done-"

"She won't believe you until you have solid proof. She thinks her mother is going through an emotional trauma and is protective of her right now. Besides, once Mrs. Sanders get wind that you're on to her she will probably try covering her tracks. It's going to take all Karen Sanders's intended victims to work together to bring all her lies to light and end her manipulations once and for all."

Griffin was silent as he thought about what April had said. Then an idea came into his head, one that would definitely set Karen Sanders back a notch, and he smiled at the thought of how it could be executed.

"What are you smiling about?" April asked.

He glanced over at her and then pulled her into his arms. It felt so good having her there. He reached out and ran his fingers through her hair, pushing a few loose strands away from her face. "I'll tell you later. But first I think some making-up time is in order," he said, before lowering his mouth to hers.