Chapter 15
Cole Mercer’s daughter recovered.
That mattered more to him than any Ashford consequence.
A year later, he asked for work again.
Not driving me.
Anything.
I gave him a maintenance position under someone else.
He accepted.
No resentment.
Good.
Eventually he apologized to Gabriel.
Gabriel listened.
Cole said:
“I believed I was protecting Damian.”
Gabriel nodded.
“That’s how they got everyone.”
Exactly.
Each person received a protective story.
Alistair protected Father from a disloyal son.
Celeste protected her future from a destabilizing brother.
Cole protected me from a surprise arrival.
Everyone “protecting” someone without asking the person what they actually wanted.
That word lost innocence for me.
Now when someone said:
“I did it to protect you.”
I asked:
“Did I ask?”
Sometimes protection must act without permission.
Children.
Emergencies.
Immediate danger.
But adults use that exception far too generously.
Nora told me once:
“You’re becoming philosophical.”
“Terrible.”
“Very.”
Gabriel agreed.
Traitors, both.
Then one night, I found the engagement ring in an old desk drawer.
I had forgotten it.
Celeste’s.
She left it.
I considered returning it.
Then realized it had been purchased with my money but chosen by her.
Meaningless argument.
I sent it through Marcus Ward.
No note.
No symbolism.
It belonged with the past.
He later told me Celeste sold it and donated the money to a language scholarship.
I laughed.
Nora did not.
“Why is that funny?”
“French started all of this.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“No.”
She corrected me.
“Arrogance started it.”
May you like
Right.
French merely refused to cooperate.
