Chapter Sixty-Two: Absence and Reckoning
Chloe's breath was tight, controlled, but trembling beneath the surface.
Her father—Samuel Redgrave—stood firm, his presence at the base of the grand staircase unmoving.
Her brothers lingered near him, their stance unreadable, but she could feel it.
The shift.
The weight.
The unspoken loyalty binding them to him.
They weren't against her.
They never had been.
But they knew.
Knew how much he suffered.
Knew how deeply he felt her absence.
And now? They wouldn't let her brush past it so easily.
Samuel inhaled slowly, gaze unwavering.
"Six years."
Two words.
Sharp.
Deliberate.
Like a blade cutting through everything between them.
Chloe stiffened.
Samuel exhaled.
"Six years, Chloe, and not once did you turn back."
Chloe's fingers curled. "I had my reasons."
Samuel tilted his head slightly. "I'm sure you did."
Damian and Lorence stood firm, eyes flickering between them, waiting.
Mikael barely moved, his silence weighted.
Chloe swallowed hard.
"I wanted space."
Samuel's brow barely lifted. "Space?"
Chloe inhaled sharply. "I wanted to see the world for myself. I wanted to be the one telling stories, not just listening to others tell them."
Samuel didn't react.
"And so you ran."
Chloe's fingers tightened.
"I didn't run. I decided."
Samuel inhaled slowly, measured. "You decided to leave everyone behind."
Chloe straightened. "I needed to know I could."
Samuel's jaw flexed slightly, his expression unreadable.
"Without your brothers. Without Kian. Without Aria. Without anyone."
Chloe swallowed. "Yes."
Samuel exhaled lightly, gaze unwavering.
"And where did it get you?"
She stalled.
Her breath clipped.
Her heart pounded.
Because—he was right.
She had spent six years proving herself, fighting to show she was capable, determined to make him regret ever holding her back.
But had she truly won?
Her father exhaled lightly, gaze steady.
"I protected you."
Chloe straightened. "You controlled me."
Samuel's expression barely flickered.
"I shielded you."
Her voice tightened. "You refused to let me grow."
Lorence sighed lightly. "Chloe, stop."
Chloe inhaled sharply, jaw clenching.
Damian followed. "He's right, brat. You know it."
Mikael exhaled quietly, his silence unwavering.
Samuel didn't press further.
Didn't push harder.
Just stood there.
Waiting.
And Chloe?
She saw it.
Saw the grief woven into his composure.
Saw the pain buried beneath his controlled stance.
Saw everything she had refused to see before.
Her throat tightened.
Her breath wavered.
And finally—she broke.
"I'm sorry."
Her voice wasn't strong.
Wasn't defiant.
Wasn't sharp.
It was raw.
Unsteady.
Fully meant.
Her brothers exhaled quietly.
Samuel remained silent.
Then—a shift.
His shoulders relaxed just slightly before his eyes flickered to Carter.
A moment.
A realization.
Chloe stiffened.
Samuel had known.
Had known Carter existed.
Had known her son before she ever realized it.
Had been watching, protecting, ensuring she was safe—but from a distance.
Because she had to learn.
She had to face consequences.
She had to understand.
Not Kevin.
Not the mistakes.
Just herself.
Chloe swallowed hard, eyes flickering between them.
Samuel inhaled lightly, nodding once.
"Welcome home."
And just like that—the fight ended. The reckoning settled. The homecoming truly began.