Chapter 8 - Daniel Finally Chose A Side
I drove to Mom’s house alone.
No Sophie.
No Rachel.
Margaret opened the door wearing cream trousers and a cashmere sweater as if nothing had happened.
“You came.”
“Yes.”
She stepped aside.
I stayed on the porch.
Her expression tightened.
“Are you going to make a scene?”
I almost laughed.
“You slapped me.”
“You challenged me in front of everyone.”
“You destroyed a seven-year-old’s birthday cake.”
“It was a cake.”
“It was her birthday.”
“She’s too indulged.”
I felt something inside me go quiet.
That helped.
“No contact.”
Margaret blinked.
“What?”
“With Sophie.”
Her face changed.
“You cannot keep my granddaughter from me.”
I stared at her.
“You told us she was nothing to you.”
“I was angry.”
“You’ve been angry at her existence for years.”
“That’s ridiculous.”
“You asked Arthur how divorce would affect her trust.”
Margaret froze.
“You requested boarding-school materials.”
Her mouth tightened.
“That could have been good for her.”
“You called her temporary.”
“I never—”
“Rachel heard you.”
Margaret’s composure finally cracked.
“You are letting your wife turn you against your own mother.”
There it was.
The oldest weapon.
Loyalty.
I answered:
“No. You turned me against you when you made my daughter feel unwanted in her own family.”
She laughed bitterly.
“So Rachel wins.”
“This is not Rachel versus you.”
“It has always been.”
“No.”
I shook my head.
“That’s the part you never understood. The moment I married Rachel, you thought I had chosen someone over you. The moment Sophie was born, you thought you lost more control.”
Margaret’s face went pale.
I continued:
“You are not competing with my wife. You are not competing with my daughter. There is no competition.”
She said nothing.
I stepped back.
“You don’t see Sophie until she wants to see you. And right now she doesn’t.”
May you like
Then I left.
For the first time in my adult life, I did not turn around because my mother was crying.
