I nod.
Julian stands. “We’re done here.” He walks out without another word.
Nadia lingers, closing her legal pad and tucking it into her bag. “For what it’s worth, I think you deserve to know your sons. But you need to understand that this isn’t about you or Aurelia or five years of secrets. This is about Finn and Liam. Everything we do from here forward is about what’s best for them.”
“I know that.”
“Do you? Because coming after them at school wasn’t about them. That was about you and your anger. Don’t make that mistake again.”
She leaves before I can respond.
Declan and I sit in the empty conference room.
“Well?” he asks.
“I hate every part of this.”
“But you’re taking it.”
“I don’t have a choice.”
“You always have a choice. This is the smart one.”
I look at him. “Two hours twice a week. Under guard. With their mother watching my every move. That’s supposed to be enough?”
“It’s a start. You prove you’re not a threat, that you care about them more than your pride, and they’ll give you more. Push now, and you lose everything.”
26
AURELIA
Julian tellsme about the meeting that night over dinner.
Supervised visits. The estate. Me present. Two hours twice a week. First visit is Saturday afternoon.
“Did he agree?” I ask.
“He didn’t have a choice.”
“That’s not what I asked.”
Julian sets down his fork. “He agreed. But he’s not happy about it.”
“When is he ever happy?”
“Aurelia—”
“I’m serious. He’s been angry since he found out about them. Angry at me, angry at the situation, angry that he can’t just take what he wants. When does that end?”
“When he sees them. When he understands what being their father actually means.”
I look at Nadia across the table. “You really think this will work?”
“I think it’s your best option. Let him meet them properly. Let them see he’s not a monster. Build from there.”
“And if they hate him?”
“They won’t hate him. There’re five. They’re curious and open, and they want to know their father. You just have to give them the chance.”
