Chapter 178
Ethan’s POV:
The sun had barely risen when I got up, finding my mother already
pacing the front hall.
She was frantically adjusting flower arrangements, smoothing
invisible wrinkles from her cream Chanel suit.
“Ethan, thank goodness you’re here early.”
She rushed toward me, hands fluttering anxiously.
“Do I look presentable? Your father insisted this suit was appropriate,
but now I’m second–guessing everything.”
“You look perfect, Mom,” I assured her, catching her restless hands in
mine.
“Take a breath. This isn’t a state dinner.”
“It might as well be,” she muttered, pulling away to adjust a vase of
lilies for the third time.
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“We’re meeting our daughter for the first time in twenty–seven years.”
Dad appeared from his study, looking equally uncomfortable in a
tailored suit that seemed to constrain him.
He placed a steadying hand on Mom’s shoulder.
“Sara, try to stay calm,” he said, forcing his voice to sound composed
despite the obvious tension in his jaw.
“We don’t want to overwhelm her or scare her away.”
My mother’s face softened momentarily before anxiety reclaimed it.
“What if she hates us, Robert? What if she takes one look at us and
walks right back out?”
“She won’t,” I interjected firmly.
“But you need to dial it back about ten notches. Audrey isn’t one for
emotional displays. If you come at her with all…”
I gestured at my mother’s obvious distress, “…this, you’ll overwhelm
her.”
William appeared at the top of the stairs, his expression somewhere
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between boredom and disdain.
“Are we really making this much fuss over someone who didn’t even
want to meet us initially?”
“Will,” I warned, “don’t start.”
He descended the stairs with deliberate slowness.
“I’m just saying what everyone’s thinking. She’s only interested now
because she knows who we are.”
Dad turned sharply, his expression hardening.
“William, that’s enough! Put a smile on your face. I won’t have Audrey thinking the Cole family doesn’t welcome her.”
William muttered under his breath, “I don’t welcome her. I already
have one sister.”
His eyes drifted meaningfully toward Daisy.
Before the tension could escalate into another argument, the sound
of tires on gravel reached us from the front drive.
Everyone’s posture straightened instantly.
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“They’re here,” Dad announced, his voice tight with emotion.
We all hurried forward toward the gates.
Through the window, I watched as a sleek black Range Rover pulled
- up.
From my angle, I could see Audrey in the passenger seat, her profile
eerily similar to my mother’s when she was younger.
The car came to a stop, and Caspar Thornton quickly exited the
driver’s side, circling around to open Audrey’s door with a
gentlemanly gesture.
Everyone present could sense the seriousness of his attachment to
her.
I understood immediately what message he was sending us: Audrey
might be a Cole by blood, but she was under Thornton protection
now.
Mom stepped forward immediately, tears welling in her eyes and
beginning to spill down her cheeks.
Her hands trembled as she approached Audrey, emotion making her
normally composed demeanor crumble completely.
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Dad quickly moved to Mom’s side, placing a steadying arm around her
shoulders.
“It’s wonderful to finally meet you, Audrey,” Dad managed, his voice
thick with suppressed emotion.
The simple greeting seemed to contain decades of longing.
“Likewise,” Audrey replied politely, her expression carefully
controlled.
Mom dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief, clearly embarrassed by
her overwhelming reaction.
“I’m sorry,” she said, attempting a smile.
“I need to… I think I’ll go upstairs and freshen up a bit.”
“I’ll come with you,” Dad said gently, giving Audrey an apologetic look
before guiding Mom toward the house.
As they disappeared inside, I turned to Audrey.
“I’m sorry about that. They’ve been waiting for this moment for so
long. It’s a bit overwhelming for them.”
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Audrey shook her head. “No need to apologize. I understand.”
“Let’s head inside,” I suggested, gesturing toward the front door. “I
can offer you something to drink while my parents collect
themselves.”
Sara’s POV:
I collapsed onto the edge of the bed the moment Robert closed the
bedroom door behind us.
My hands trembled as I buried my face in them, unable to hold back
the sobs any longer.
“What kind of mother am I?” I choked out, looking up at Robert
through tear–blurred vision.
“We abandoned her for twenty–seven years, Robert, twenty–seven
years! And before that, we never even knew she existed. Our own
daughter…”
Robert knelt in front of me, taking my hands in his.
His eyes were red–rimmed, his usual composure cracked wide open.
“This wasn’t your fault, Sara,” he said firmly.
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“If anyone’s to blame, it’s me. I let you mistakenly believe that Daisy
was our daughter.”
I shook my head, wiping away tears that wouldn’t stop flowing.
“After all these years…you must be having a hard time too. We should
be celebrating. We have two daughters now.”
U
I attempted a smile, though it felt fragile
“We should be happy, shouldn’t we?”
“We’ll make it right,” Robert nodded, squeezing my hands. “We have
that chance now.”
Robert took a deep breath, straightening his tie and composing
himself.
“Alright, let’s pull ourselves together and get back downstairs. We
shouldn’t keep them waiting any longer.”
I stood up abruptly, moving to the ornate vanity mirror.
My makeup was ruined, mascara streaked down my cheeks, eyes puffy
and red.
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I looked every bit the emotional wreck I felt.
“I need to fix my face,” I said, reaching for my compact.
“I don’t want Audrey to see me like this.”
Ten minutes and a generous application of concealer later, I
descended the grand staircase with Robert by my side.
From the landing, I could see Audrey sitting in our formal living
room, engaged in what appeared to be polite conversation with
Ethan.
Caspar Thornton sat beside her, his posture protective.
Stay calm, Sara, I coached myself silently.
You’ve already made enough of a spectacle of yourself for one day. Pull it
together.
I took a deep breath, fixed a warm smile on my face, and continued
down the stairs.
“I hope you haven’t been waiting long,” I said, my voice pleasantly
modulated as I entered the living room,
