Chapter 2
I paused, my hand on the restaurant door.
I didn't turn around. My heart was pounding, hot and sharp in my chest.
"Let him speak," my mother said softly. She stood tall, though her face still glistened with wine. "Give him one moment."
I turned slowly.
He was standing now, face pale, pushing his chair back hard.
"Mother," he said, his voice steadying. "You asked me months ago... why I chose her. Why I stood by her when I could have had anyone."
He looked at me—truly looked at me—with eyes full of regret and something deeper, something brave.
"I chose her because she sees what you cannot," he said. "And today... you have proven exactly why I love her."
Then he turned to Mrs. Sterling.
"Everything you just said... everything you just did... you are wrong. And there is something you do not know."
He took a breath.
"Her mother—this woman you have humiliated—was once the most beloved person in our father’s life. She was his nurse. His comfort. The woman who stayed by his side when he was dying, when you were too busy with parties and social standing to sit with him for even one hour."
The restaurant fell dead silent.
Mrs. Sterling sat frozen.
"Our father spoke of her every single day," he said, his voice ringing clear. "He told me... if I ever found someone with half her goodness, half her grace... I would be the luckiest man alive."
May you like
He looked at my mother.
"And today... you insulted the woman my father respected more than anyone else in this world."
