Chapter 9 - The Final Call
Lily took her smartphone with numb fingers, dialing her father's personal number. She put the call on speaker mode as the line rang once... twice... three times.
A click echoed over the speaker, followed by the calm, steady breathing of Frank Calloway.
"Dad...?" Lily sobbed into the phone, her voice cracking with pure remorse. "Dad, please... I'm so sorry. I was wrong... Ethan was wrong... Please come back upstairs..."
There was a long, heavy silence on the other end of the line. When Frank finally spoke, his voice was clear, soft, and completely devoid of anger—holding only the solemn dignity of a father who had fulfilled his duty.
"I gave you five years to choose truth over arrogance, Lily," Frank said gently over the phone. "I sat at that table tonight not to demand respect, but to see if my daughter still had a heart."
"Dad, please!" Lily cried out, falling to her knees on the expensive carpet.
"Your husband's lease is terminated, Lily," Frank continued calmly. "And as for you... my home will always be open to my daughter, but Calloway House will never open its doors to Ethan Mercer again."
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The line went dead with a quiet beep.
👉 Continue to Part 10 for the emotional final conclusion.
