Nathan was silent.
Finally, he answered.
“He says he doesn’t.”
I couldn’t believe it.
“Then why are you standing in my house?”
“Because I don’t think he means it.”
I shook my head.
“That’s not good enough.”
Nathan explained that their father had spent years refusing to speak Claire’s name.
He was proud, stubborn, and unwilling to admit mistakes.
But Nathan believed the old man regretted how he’d treated his daughter.
“He just doesn’t know how to make things right,” Nathan said.
“Then he should have learned before his daughter died.”
Nathan lowered his eyes.
“You’re right.”
I studied him carefully.
“Are you here to take Ellie away from me?”
His head snapped up.
“What? Absolutely not.”
“You come from a wealthy family. You have lawyers, money, and connections. I’m a seventy-year-old woman living in a house that needs repairs. What exactly am I supposed to think?”
