The heater inside the sedan hummed softly as David turned the wheel toward the main highway[span_256](start_span)[span_256](end_span).
David: How are you holding up, Ellie? Your mother has been pacing the living room floor since seven o'clock[span_257](start_span)[span_257](end_span).
Elena: I'm okay, Dad. Honestly, I'm just relieved it's over[span_258](start_span)[span_258](end_span).
David: Were they as arrogant as Arthur warned they would be?[span_259](start_span)[span_259](end_span)
Elena: Even worse. They actually expected me to sign away my unborn child for a cash settlement[span_260](start_span)[span_260](end_span)[span_261](start_span)[span_261](end_span).
David gripped the steering wheel, his jaw tightening slightly before he let out a slow breath[span_262](start_span)[span_262](end_span).
David: Arthur spent the last five years of his life regretting the values he let his wife instill in that boy[span_263](start_span)[span_263](end_span).
Elena: Julian had every chance to make his own choice tonight. He chose the money every single time[span_264](start_span)[span_264](end_span).
Her mobile phone lit up in the center console, vibrating continuously as message after message flooded the screen[span_265](start_span)[span_265](end_span).
David: Is that him?[span_266](start_span)[span_266](end_span)
Elena: Over twenty calls and half a dozen voice messages. Begging, apologizing, promising to give up everything[span_267](start_span)[span_267](end_span).
David: Are you going to respond to any of them?[span_268](start_span)[span_268](end_span)
Elena: No. Marcus said his legal team will handle all formal communication starting tomorrow morning[span_269](start_span)[span_269](end_span).
David: That’s the right call, sweetheart. A clean break is the only way forward[span_270](start_span)[span_270](end_span).
Elena leaned back against the headrest, looking down at her bare left hand in the dashboard light[span_271](start_span)[span_271](end_span).
Elena: It’s funny... for months I thought I had to fit into their world to give this baby a secure future[span_272](start_span)[span_272](end_span).
David: A child doesn't need marble foyers or family trusts to feel safe, Ellie. They just need parents with backbone and love[span_273](start_span)[span_273](end_span)[span_274](start_span)[span_274](end_span).
Elena: This baby is going to have plenty of love, Dad. And a mother who never backs down[span_275](start_span)[span_275](end_span).
David: That they will. And a grandfather who can fix just about anything with an engine[span_276](start_span)[span_276](end_span).
Elena laughed softly, the tension of the last several hours finally draining from her shoulders[span_277](start_span)[span_277](end_span).
The sedan turned into the driveway of the modest suburban house, where warm yellow light spilled from the front windows onto the wet lawn[span_278](start_span)[span_278](end_span).
Elena stepped out into the crisp night air, taking a deep, free breath as her mother opened the front door with open arms[span_279](start_span)[span_279](end_span).
Behind them, the city lights faded into the rain, leaving the shadows of the Sterling empire far behind[span_280](start_span)[span_280](end_span).