Chapter 375
His tone was level, but the resolve in it was unmistakable.
For the first time, Tanya looked at him with a glimmer of respect. He was finally acting like a man. If only Rowan could stand up to his family like that, she thought with a pang, then Elissa’s baby could have a father.
Elissa had no idea what Tanya was thinking. All she wanted was to be free of the Atwater family drama. “I don’t care if you disown each other or not,” she cut in sharply. “Just leave me out of it p>
Her eyes met Frank’s. “I told you from the beginning that I don’t need you to do anything for me. Please, make that clear to your mother as well p>
With that, she slammed the door shut.
“You know,” Tanya said into the silence, “if it wasn’t for that whole mess with Marcia, he wouldn’t be so bad p>
“What do you mean?” Elissa asked, her throat dry. She went to the counter and poured herself a glass of cool water. Just as she brought it to her lips, a furious argument erupted from outside the door, followed by a loud thud, and then silence.
Tanya jumped, clutching her chest. “I just mean, he’s better than someone like Rowan, who comes with a family full of enemies p>
Elissa drank half the water in one go, her voice calm. “You’re a lawyer, Tanya. You know better than anyone that there are no ‘what ifs’ in this world p>
Time didn’t flow backward. All you could do was keep moving forward, whether you wanted to or not. There were no second chances.
Tanya sighed. “You’re right. I guess I was just feeling idealistic for a moment p>
The doorbell rang.
Elissa didn’t have to look to know who it was. But she knew this conversation needed to happen. She set down her glass and opened the door. Frank stood there, his suit immaculate. “Is your mother gone p>
“Yes.” He nodded, his expression apologetic. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for you to get scared. I’ve made it clear to her that she is not to bother you again.” He truly hadn’t expected Carmela to be so reckless.
Elissa’s gaze dropped for a moment before she met his eyes again. “And have you listened to what I’ve told you? That I don’t need you to fight my battles?” Her voice was cool. “Frank, we’re divorced, what you’re doing for me is a debt I can’t repay p>
“I’m going to find my own way,” she continued. “I don’t need you to sacrifice the entire Atwater family to help me p>
Every word was a carefully drawn boundary, and Frank felt his heart constrict as if bound by a tight thread.
His eyes were fixed on hers. “I never
expected you to repay anything. Everything I do, I do because I want to. If I can help you, even in the smallest way, I feel like heaven is giving me a chance to atone It was he who had made so many mistakes in the past. If he could erase even a fraction of that, it would be enough.
Elissa felt like they were talking in circles. “Fine,” she said, giving up. “But please,
make sure your mother never shows up here again p>
Frank breathed a sigh of relief. “She won’t. I promise p>
Elissa pressed her lips together. “Then you should go home. I need to close the door.” She took a small step back.
“Wait.” Frank produced a small glass bottle from his pocket, his eyes shining. “Little Nine,” he said, using her childhood nickname. “Do you remember this p>
Inside the bottle were dozens of tiny, folded paper cranes.
She remembered. A much younger Elissa had begged her mother to fold them for her, and she had carefully placed each one into a
thoroughly cleaned milk bottle
The
day Frank was leaving Cresthaven, she had given it to him through her tears.
*”Little brother,”* she’d sobbed, *”I made a wish on every single one of these
cranes. I wished that we would see each other again p>