His Number Changed So I Changed My Life Chapter 25
My father asked to meet in a conference room at his company.
I could have refused.
But a media executive attempting to kill a story about media manipulation was, in itself, newsworthy.
He looked older than I remembered.
His hair was mostly gray, though his suit was still perfectly tailored. The number above his head was different from the one I had seen in eighth grade.
I glanced at it once, then looked away.
“Charlotte,” he said. “Your mother’s health is fragile. Why do you insist on dragging our family’s private matters back into the public eye?”
“The story isn’t about you, and it won’t mention her medical history.”
“But everyone knows Parker is your ex-husband. Once the article is published, people will start digging into the Mercer family.”
He pushed a cup of coffee toward me.
I didn’t touch it.
“Are you worried about Mom, or are you worried people will remember what you did?”
My father’s face darkened.
“I admit I made mistakes. But adult relationships are more complicated than you think. You’ve refused to hear a single explanation since you were fourteen.”
“I saw you come out of that apartment.”
His hand, which had been resting by the cup, froze.
He didn’t know I could see the numbers, and he didn’t know why I had followed him that day.
“One mistake shouldn’t define a person’s entire life.”