He Accused Me Of Stealing But I Heard The Truth Chapter 52
[Remember this. Not because you paid for it, and not because you’re her father. But because she wanted to.]
A few seconds later, Maisie patted his back.
“That’s enough.”
He let go at once.
“Thank you.”
She ran off to get a juice box.
Only Derek and I were left in the classroom.
“I’m not going to take this as a sign that she’s forgiven me,” he said, his voice thick.
“You’d better not.”
“Erin.”
He stopped me as I started to turn, but then said nothing else.
I could practically hear his thoughts.
[Don’t say you want to start over. That’s what you want, not what she owes you.]
[Just ask about next week’s time, then leave.]
After a long pause, all he said was, “For next week’s visitation, I’ll request the usual time.”
“Okay.”
When he reached the door, I called after him.
“Derek.”
He turned.
“The things you’re doing now don’t cancel out what came before.”
“I know.”
“But they matter. To Maisie.”
A faint light flickered in his eyes before he forced it back down.
“That’s already more than I have any right to ask for.”
That winter, Rachel’s appeal was denied.
The court completed the sale of her two properties, and the recovered funds were transferred into my account according to the judgment.
When my lawyer informed me, I was at the hospital for my final training session.
Looking at the balance, I didn’t think of Derek’s penthouse or Rachel’s pink folder.
I thought of the old house my mother had left me.
Back then, I had tried to mortgage it for Maisie’s medicine, only to be thrown out of the bank because of incomplete paperwork and a fraud alert.
I had my lawyer finally clear up the title issues and sold the house that had stood empty for so many years.
It was the last thing I needed to carry out of the life I’d spent running from.