บททั้งหมดของ His father’s touch: บทที่ 11 - บทที่ 20

Elias spent the next two days making calls.I watched him from the living room of his penthouse, curled up on the leather sofa with a mug of cold coffee in my hands. He stood by the window with his phone pressed to his ear, his voice low and controlled. He spoke to lawyers. Investigators. People I'd never heard of.I didn't ask questions. I didn't have the energy.The city stretched out below us, glittering in the afternoon light, indifferent to everything that had happened. People were still going to work. Still laughing. Still living. The world hadn't stopped just because my life had fallen apart.I thought about my father. He'd called six times since the wedding. I hadn't answered a single one. I didn't know what to say to him. I didn't know how to explain that I'd destroyed everything he'd ever wanted for me the marriage, the reputation, the respectable life.I thought about Mia.Every time her name surfaced in my mind, I pushed it back down. I wasn't ready to face it. Not yet.On

Three weeks passed.Three weeks of silence. Three weeks of healing. Three weeks of learning how to live again.I moved out of Elias's penthouse and into a small apartment on the other side of the city. It wasn't much a one-bedroom with creaky floors and a view of a parking lot but it was mine. I paid the deposit with money I'd saved from before the wedding. I bought furniture from thrift stores. I hung curtains that didn't match.It was the first home I'd ever had that was entirely my own.Elias didn't argue when I told him I needed space. He didn't try to stop me. He just looked at me with those grey eyes and said, "I'll wait for you."I didn't know if I believed him.But I appreciated the sentiment.I got a job at a small bookstore downtown.It didn't pay much. I spent my days shelving books and recommending novels to strangers. I drank coffee that was too strong and ate sandwiches at my desk. I learned the names of the regulars. I learned how to smile again.It was simple. It was q

I didn't sleep that night.I lay in Elias's bed, staring at the ceiling, replaying every word he'd said. My mother. Damon. The murder. The cover-up. The letter.I thought about the way she'd suffered. The months of pain. The slow decline. I'd been seventeen when she died. Old enough to know something was wrong. Old enough to ask questions.But I'd never asked.I'd accepted the story everyone told me that she'd been sick, that it was tragic, that there was nothing anyone could have done.It was a lie.And now I knew the truth.The next morning, I made a decision.I called Elias."Clara.""I'm not ready to forgive you," I said."I know.""But I'm not ready to lose you either."There was a long silence."What does that mean?" he asked."It means I need time. It means I need to figure out who I am without you. It means I need to confront the people who hurt my mother.""Clara—""I'm not asking for permission. I'm telling you what I'm going to do."Another silence."Then let me help you,"

Three months passed.Three months of healing. Three months of rebuilding. Three months of learning how to live again.The trial was still pending. Damon's lawyers had delayed it twice, filing motions and appeals, trying to drag out the process. But the evidence was solid. The case was strong. Everyone knew how it would end.I visited my mother's grave for the first time in years.It was a small cemetery on the edge of the city, quiet and peaceful. Her headstone was simple just her name and dates, a single line that read Beloved Mother.I knelt in the grass and placed a bouquet of white roses at the base of the stone."I'm sorry," I whispered. "I'm sorry I didn't know. I'm sorry I didn't fight for you sooner."The wind rustled through the trees. I imagined her voice, soft and warm, telling me it was okay."I did it, Mom," I said. "I got justice for you. It took a long time, but I did it."I stayed there for an hour. When I finally stood up, I felt lighter than I had in years.I kept my

The penthouse felt different now.It wasn't just the security the new locks, the cameras, the guards Elias had hired. It was the silence. The waiting. The feeling that something was coming, and we couldn't stop it.I stood by the window, staring out at the city. The lights blurred together, a thousand tiny stars. I thought about my mother. I thought about Damon. I thought about everything that had brought me here.Elias walked up behind me and placed his hand on my shoulder."You should eat something," he said."I'm not hungry.""You haven't eaten all day."I turned to face him."Who's doing this?" I asked. "Who would want to threaten me now? Damon is in prison. Victor is gone. Your father is dead."Elias was silent for a moment."There's someone I haven't told you about," he said.I felt my stomach drop."What?""My mother."I stared at him."Your mother? You told me she disappeared years ago.""She did." He paused. "But I never told you the whole story."We sat on the couch.Elias p