Chapter 7 - The Unannounced Visitor
It was a rainy afternoon in late October when a sleek black taxi pulled up to the iron gates of Hartwell Manor.
I was sitting in the estate's glass conservatory, reviewing quarterly dividend reports, when Mrs. Gable walked in, her expression unusually stern.
"Miss Lena," Mrs. Gable said softly. "There is an American gentleman at the front gate. He insists on seeing you. He says he is your daughters' father."
I set my fountain pen down slowly. I hadn't seen Preston in over eight months. I hadn't heard his voice since the morning we signed the divorce papers.
"Show him into the library, Mrs. Gable," I said quietly. "And ensure Maya and Chloe are in their riding lesson at the far end of the property."
Two minutes later, I pushed open the heavy mahogany doors of the library.
Preston stood near the fireplace. He looked completely different from the polished, arrogant man who had sat across from me at the divorce table. His suit was slightly rumpled, his hair was thinning at the temples, and his face bore the hollow, exhausted lines of a man crushed by financial and personal failure.
When he turned and saw me, his breath caught in his throat.
I was wearing a tailored cream cashmere sweater and dark trousers, my silver-blonde hair pinned up neatly, radiating an effortless authority that left him standing completely mute for several seconds.
"Lena..." he finally stammered, taking a hesitant step forward. "You... you look incredible."
"What are you doing here, Preston?" I asked, keeping my tone crisp and neutral as I remained standing near the desk.
"I came to see my daughters," he said, his voice rising with a desperate edge. "You took them halfway across the world, Lena! You changed their phone numbers! You blocked my emails!"
"You gave them up, Preston," I reminded him calmly. "Do you remember your exact words to me five minutes after our divorce was finalized?"
Preston winced as if I had thrown cold water in his face.
"'Take the girls, Lena. I have a son coming now,'" I repeated, every word crisp and perfectly clear. "You signed a full legal waiver surrendering your parental rights because you believed a boy was waiting for you. You discarded Maya and Chloe like unwanted furniture."
May you like
"I was wrong!" Preston pleaded, taking two fast steps toward me, tears brimming in his eyes. "Brielle lied to me! The whole thing was a setup! I was out of my mind, Lena! I miss my girls! I think about them every single day!"
"You miss the idea of them now that your life has fallen apart," I corrected him gently. "If Brielle had given you that boy, you wouldn't have called my phone once this year."
