Seven Years of Love Seven Minutes of Truth

Chapter 16

I went to my father's house.

He'd remarried when I was right to another professor, and they had my held brother 14 yeye ge years, not wanting to disrupt their carefully built life.

But right now, I desperately needed family

They were startled to see me on their doorstep all three ruding around, offering water, firing a plate of fresh fr

glaw

and cheese.

1 fell into a deep sleep on their couch, surrounded by the familiar smell of books and coffee

I slept longer and more peacefully than I had in months.

When I woke, it was evening. They were all reading quietly in the living room-the two professors and ar

brilliant son.

My stepmother immediately went to the kitchen, returning with a bowd of homemade soap shed tem tempor warm. She called my name awkwardly, offering to heat up more. Then she pulled my brother into extern, giving Dad and me space,

Dad studied me carefully,

"You're hurting, aren't you, sweetheart?"

I broke down.

Everything hit at once- discovering Claire, finding out about Cooper, the accident, two months trapped in that mountain house.

My entire life had imploded, one revelation after another.

I hadn't even had time to process the pain before being thrown into the next nightmare, each crisis forcing me to become someone harder, someone different.

Yes, I was hurting. But what hurt most was remembering Nathan risking his life to save me.

And I'd left him in that ravine.

Dad listened to everything without interrupting, his academic's patience letting me find my own words.

After a long silence, waiting for my tears to slow, he spoke gently:

"Nathan's too powerful and too obsessed with you. He'll keep causing problems. So we fight back - divorce him, take the company."

I stared at him, surprised by this calculating side of my scholarly father.

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Seven Years of Love, Seven Minutes of i

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Chapter 16

He smiled. “Divorce is messy, but not impossible."

"And the company?" I asked between hiccups.

Dad's eyes narrowed. “The first lesson I taught your mother about business: never put all your eggs in one basket."

"She trusted Nathan, but she wasn't naive. Years ago, she invested in his main competitor. That company's grown quite impressive now."

"Don't worry, honey. You have me."

As I was leaving, I couldn't help asking:

“Dad, why did you and Mom really divorce?”

He smiled gently. “Your mother and I were fundamentally different people. Together, we just drained each other. Marriage should help you become your best self. Sometimes divorce does the same thing."

"You've handled all this with remarkable strength. I'm proud of you."

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