Chapter 15
Emily did not move back to the Bennett estate immediately.
James expected her to.
That was precisely why she did not.
She remained in the penthouse for another week while Ryan and Linda relocated. Marco changed the household staff, removed the locks Ryan had added, and reassigned security directly to Emily.
The hidden guest room stayed open.
No key.
No concealed deliveries.
No closed door.
James visited on the third day carrying the pink teddy bear he had dropped when he first saw Emily pinned against the mattress.
He stopped at the entrance.
“Can I come in?”
Emily looked surprised.
Then smiled.
“Yes.”
He gave her the bear.
She turned it over in her hands.
“I thought Linda threw it away.”
“She tried.”
Emily laughed softly.
James sat across from her.
For several minutes neither spoke.
Then Emily said, “You were controlling sometimes too.”
James nodded.
“I know.”
She looked at him carefully.
“You aren’t going to argue?”
“No.”
That almost made her laugh again.
James continued.
“I spent your whole life making sure you knew I could fix anything.”
He glanced toward the open guest-room door.
“I never thought about whether that made asking me for help feel like surrendering the problem to me.”
Emily’s eyes filled.
“That’s why I stayed quiet.”
“I know.”
“No. You know now.”
James accepted the correction.
“Yes.”
That mattered more than apology.
Emily placed the pink teddy bear beside her.
“I don’t want to be rescued every time something goes wrong.”
James looked at her.
“Then I’ll learn to wait until you ask.”
She raised an eyebrow.
“That sounds difficult for you.”
“Very.”
For the first time in months, Emily laughed without looking over her shoulder afterward.
May you like
And James realized that getting his daughter back did not mean bringing her home.
It meant becoming someone she no longer needed to escape from either.
