Neither of them responds. I walk out of the dining room with my head held high, refusing to let them see how much their words have landed.
I make it to the stairs before my composure cracks.
My hands are shaking as I grip the banister, and I have to stop halfway up to take a breath and calm down. The things they said—the implications, the accusations, the casual cruelty—it’s worse than anything I imagined. No wonder Logan kept me away from them. No wonder he built himself a separate world.
I’m about to continue up when I hear voices from below. Logan’s voice, tight with fury, and his father’s, cool and dismissive.
I should keep walking. I should give him privacy, let him handle this the way he wants to. But my feet won’t move.
If I understand it, I can handle it.The old logic, the one that’s been running my operating system since I was six years old.
I sink down onto the step, hidden from view by the curve of the staircase, and listen.
“—cannot believe you would speak to her that way.” Logan’s voice echoes up the stairs. “She is a guest in this house.”
“She’s a stranger who’s managed to get her hooks into you,” Caroline replies. “Forgive us for being skeptical.”
“Skeptical? You accused her of being a gold digger. To her face.”
“We raised concerns. There’s a difference.”
“There’s no difference. You attacked her. You attacked me. You do this every single time I try to have something for myself.”
“We’re trying to protect you, Logan.” Edmund’s voice is patient, patronizing. “You’ve always been... susceptible. Too trusting. We simply want to ensure?—”
“Ensure what? That I end up alone? That I push away anyone who might actually love me?”
“Love.” Caroline laughs, a brittle sound. “Darling, you’ve known this woman for—what—a few months? You don’t know the first thing about love.”
“I know more about love than you’ve ever shown me.”
Silence. I press my hand to my mouth, heart pounding.
“That’s unfair,” Edmund says finally, his voice cold. “We’ve given you everything. The education, the opportunities. The trust fund?—”
“Are you seriously trying to use money against me, right now? I owe you nothing.”
“You owe us respect.”
“Respect is earned. And you’ve done nothing but tear me down my entire life.” Logan’s voice breaks, then steadies. “I don’t care how you treat me. I’ve put up with your disdain my entire life, and frankly, I don’t give a fuck anymore. But if you ever—ever—utter a single disrespectful syllable to the woman I love again, then I’m done.”
My breath catches.The woman he loves.
“Done?” Caroline’s voice is sharp. “What does that mean, exactly?”
“It means everything. No son. No legacy. No money. I won’t stand by and let you treat Audrey the way you’ve treated everyone else who’s ever gotten close to me. She’s not going anywhere. And if you can’t accept that, I can’t support you anymore.”
“You’re being dramatic,” Edmund says, but there’s an edge to his voice now. Something uncertain.
“I’m being clear. For the first time in my life, I’m being absolutely clear—you need me. Let’s not pretend otherwise. Without my money, you lose this house. You lose the lifestyle. You lose everything you’ve spent forty years pretending you deserved.”
“Logan—”
“I’ve never asked you for anything. Not your approval, not your affection, not even basic kindness. I gave up on that a long time ago. But I am asking you now—no, I’m telling you—to treat Audrey with respect. Or I will cut you off without a second thought.”
Silence stretches out, thick and heavy. I can barely breathe.
“You would do that?” Caroline’s voice is small. Shocked. “You would choose her over your own family?”
