But I’m too far gone to back down now. “How dareyou!” I straighten to my full height, even though he towers over me. “You disappeared from my life after she died. You neglected me. You neglected our family.”
“That’s not true,” he protests, but his voice lacks conviction.
“When I was little, you would come to all my performances. You would sit in the audience, and I would know to look for you, to see Mom smiling at me in encouragement. You never came alone.”
“You stopped performing.”
“Because you stopped coming!” The words burst out of me, years of hurt and resentment finding their voice. “The moment she wasn’t there anymore, I was erased too. I became invisible. Suddenly the only thing that mattered was work and money, more and more money. Logan and Lucas didn’t live at home anymore, they didn’t feel it like I did. But Liam felt it. He sat with me in my room on my sixteenth birthday and danced with me. You didn’t even remember I had a birthday.”
Dad shakes his head, his voice pleading. “I said I was sorry. I apologized hundreds of times. You didn’t want another party.”
“No.” I shake my head, my voice dropping to a whisper. “I wanted a father who cared.”
“I always cared,” he insists. “You were always in my thoughts, Cora, even if you thought you weren’t.”
We stand there, the gulf between us feeling wider than ever. The sun has almost set, casting long shadows across the golf course. In the fading light, I see my father not as the powerful businessman or the controlling patriarch, but as a man—flawed, hurting, and perhaps as lost as I am.
“Lucas says Mom committed suicide.” The words hang in the air between us, heavy and dangerous.
Dad’s face drains of color. “No. Don’t ever say something like that. Your mother didn’t commit suicide. It was a car accident.”
I search his face, looking for any sign of deception. “I don’t believe you. I don’t believe a word coming out of your mouth.” I take a deep breath, steeling myself for what comes next. “Ryder told me you and Mom were robbed. Is that true?”
The look on his face is one of deep shock as if I’d struck him. He stumbles back a step, his composure cracking.
“Is it true?” I press. “What’s the connection between that and the mugging I went through? Is there something you’re not telling me?”
“No,” he says, shaking his head. “I don’t know of anyconnection. And Zane Mercer said that the person who tried to kidnap you runs your competing company. Richard Stone?”
I study him, noting the way his eyes dart around, refusing to meet mine. “But it’s true? You were robbed?”
He’s silent for a long moment, then nods. “Yes. That’s true.”
“So why didn’t you tell me? Why didn’t you tell anyone?”
He sighs, looking older than I’ve ever seen him. “It happened twenty years ago, Cora. It’s not relevant, and there’s no point bringing it back now.”
I shake my head, pieces falling into place.
“Ryder thought there was a connection between that robbery and mine,” I say, observing his reaction.
“No. It can’t be. There’s no connection.”
“How can you be sure?”
“Because that’s what I’m saying!” he snaps. “Just let it go already.”
I flinch at his tone, and he immediately looks contrite. “I’m sorry,” he says, running a hand through his hair. “I’m just a little shaken by what happened today. I didn’t mean to yell.”
I nod, but I can’t shake the feeling that there’s more to this story. His eyes dart around, never settling in one place for long. I’ve never seen him like this before. He’s hiding something, that much is clear. But what? And why?
“I don’t want to fight,” I say, exhausted.
“Neither do I,” he replies, looking drained.
I take a deep breath, knowing that what I say next could change everything between us. “I don’t want to fight, but I came here to make something clear. I’m not a little girl anymore, Dad. I’m a grown woman, and I’m in love with Ryder. I will not back down on this. I will not bend to your wishes. And if you want to disinherit me from everything, sobe it. I’ll manage. But Ryder is my choice, and if you’ve ever experienced true love, then you know why I can’t give it up. Why I can’t givehimup.”
I give Dad one last look, then I turn and walk away, each step like a milestone. I don’t look back, don’t wait for an answer. Whatever his decision is, he knows mine.
