He looked down at me, his eyes cold and merciless. “In your mother’s heart and mine, Philip is part of our family. If you dare touch him again, I will not wait for anyone else. I will break your legs myself.”
I knelt there, the pain in my legs insignificant compared to the icy dread spreading through my chest.
So that was it.
More than twenty years of our father-son relationship meant less than a promise made at the brink of death.
My father continued, his voice sharp with condemnation.
“And you still dare talk back? If you hadn’t neglected Celeste all these years, how could she have ended up with Philip? You’ve been willful since childhood. You’re nothing like him, who’s steady and sensible! Apologize to Philip!”
From the side, my sister added casually, “Nathan, since Philip and Celeste truly love each other, why don’t you just let them be?”
“Dad!” My voice shook as I spoke. "His feelings matter, but can my dignity—your own son—be trampled at will?"
I lifted my head just in time to catch the look Philip and Celeste exchanged.
The tenderness lingering in that shared gaze shattered my last remaining hope.