“Because Sabina told us we were bad,” Gemma whispered softly from behind Rosamund’s apron. “She told us that we were making you stressed out, and she said that if we ever complained to you, you would pack our bags and send us away to a strict boarding school in another country.”
Chadworth closed his eyes tightly as a sharp, agonizing pain shot through his chest.
He distinctly remembered the conversation where he had dismissed their quiet tears as simple childhood rebellion because he had been too focused on his business deals to listen to their cries for help.
“No, never,” Chadworth swore, opening his eyes to look directly at them. “You two are my absolute entire world. Do you hear me? Nothing in this universe matters more to me than your safety and happiness.”
He pulled both girls tightly into his arms, and for the first time in months, they did not pull away or hold back their tears.
Lorelai sobbed openly against his neck while Gemma clung tightly to his shirt, and Chadworth held them with a fiercely protective grip, kissing their hair repeatedly.
Over their small shoulders, Chadworth looked up at Rosamund, who had quietly stepped back to give the family space, wiping a tear from her own cheek.
“Thank you, Rosamund,” Chadworth said, his voice thick with profound gratitude. “Thank you for protecting my sweet little girls when their own father was far too blind to protect them himself.”
Rosamund bowed her head respectfully.
“I simply did what was right, Mr. Prescott.”
“Chadworth, my love!” Sabina’s voice intruded frantically as she rushed forward, attempting to place a hand on his shoulder. “What is going on here? Why have you come back? You do not understand what just happened! This woman just physically attacked me! She was being completely disobedient, trying to turn the girls against me, and when I tried to correct their behavior, she put her hands on me! I was simply trying to bring some proper structure to this home—”
Chadworth stood up slowly, turning to face her.
The warmth that had filled his eyes while holding his daughters vanished completely, replaced by an icy, lethal glare.
“Do not touch me,” Chadworth said in a quiet, dangerous voice that made Sabina freeze in her tracks. “And do not speak another word in my presence.”
Sabina blinked in sheer disbelief, taking a fearful step backward.
