Kayden

"Let’s go, Kayden," Rhys said firmly as he grabbed my hand after making a statement his grandfather could not argue against.

Without waiting for another response, he began pulling me away from them, but before we could take more than a few steps, Rami’s voice suddenly rang out behind us.

"Kelvin Hamilton sent me to you."

My entire body froze instantly.

Rhys stopped beside me too, but I did not turn around.

I refused to.

I did not care about Kelvin Hamilton or whatever message he had sent through Rami Calder. As far as I was concerned, that man had stopped existing in my life years ago.

"He has brain cancer," Rami continued heavily. "Last stage. He wants to see you before the illness takes him away and—"

"I do not care!"

The scream tore out of me before I could stop it.

I spun around immediately to face Rami, years of anger and resentment exploding violently inside my chest at once.

I had remained silent for most of this conversation because I knew if I opened my mouth too soon, I would say something I could never take back.

After everything Rami had done to destroy my life and force me away from the rink, he suddenly wanted to stand there pretending he cared about my feelings?

It disgusted me.

Because I knew exactly what kind of man he was.

The moment Rhys and I let our guards down around him, he would strike again. Men like Rami Calder did not suddenly become kind overnight.

And now more than ever, I could not afford to let myself get dragged into another emotional war.

Not with the baby involved.

"But he is your father," Richard suddenly spoke up. "You should care about your family no matter what."

His eyes shifted toward Rhys as he continued speaking.

"Fathers make mistakes, but that does not mean we abandon them."

The second those words left his mouth, I felt Rhys tense beside me so violently that I genuinely thought he might lose control and punch his father right there.

"Stop projecting, Father," Rhys said coldly before I could respond myself.

Richard looked like he wanted to argue back, but this time I cut him off before he could say another word.

"Kelvin Hamilton stopped being my father a very long time ago," I said sharply. "I do not care what happens to him."

My chest rose and fell heavily as years of buried pain clawed their way back to the surface.

"And while we are talking about parents," I continued, pointing directly at Richard accusingly, "what about your dear wife?"

Richard visibly stiffened.

"What about her?" I demanded. "After you found out I was the son she abandoned, did you reach out to me? Did you tell your precious son the truth? Did you hold her accountable for what she did to me?"

My voice cracked despite how hard I tried to stay calm.

"No," I answered bitterly for him. "You did not. And you never will."

Rhys’s grip around my hand tightened slightly.

"So why exactly should I acknowledge a father who spent years abusing me?" I continued loudly. "A man who constantly reminded me that I was unwanted? A man who made me feel like my existence ruined his life?"

Several conversations around the meeting room slowly started fading as people began turning toward us.

I could feel the attention slowly gathering around us again. Conversations around the room began fading one after another as people turned toward the sound of my voice. Quiet whispers spread through the crowd while curious eyes settled heavily on me, filled with judgment, pity, and scrutiny all over again.

Tears burned painfully behind my eyes, but I forced them back down immediately.

I was tired of crying.

Especially in front of people who had never cared about me in the first place.

Rhys immediately placed a comforting hand against my back and rubbed gentle circles there.

"Calm down," he whispered softly near my ear. "Everything is going to be fine."

I nodded slowly even though my chest still hurt.

"If that is all," Rhys continued coldly while looking toward his father and grandfather, "then I believe this conversation is over. You are upsetting Kayden, and I do not want to hear another word from either of you."

He tightened his hold around my hand before slowly guiding me away again.

But apparently Rami Calder still was not finished.

"I truly meant it when I said you should visit him one last time," he insisted.

That made me stop walking again.

This time I turned around fully.

"What exactly is it to you?" I demanded angrily. "Why are you suddenly so desperate to fix everything when you are the one who ruined it from the beginning?"

My breathing became uneven again.

"You hated me," I continued. "You wanted me away from Rhys. You exposed my secrets to the public. You revealed the truth about my father before I was ready to face any of it myself."

Rami shifted slightly against his cane.

"The truth would have come out eventually," he replied calmly.

"My own way would have been better," I snapped through gritted teeth while trying not to scream again. "You have already done enough, Mr Calder. So kindly stay away from me."

For the first time, something almost resembling regret flickered briefly across Rami’s face.

"I am trying to make amends," he said quietly. "That is why I believe you should visit your father. Perhaps you should also consider speaking with your mother again."

A bitter laugh escaped me immediately.

"I do not care about either of them," I said harshly. "So stay the hell away from me. All of you."

I pointed warningly toward him before rubbing my forehead tiredly.

Suddenly everything felt exhausting.

The meeting.

The confrontation.

The shouting.

The memories.

I was so tired.

Rhys immediately pulled me against his side and gently rubbed my forehead with his thumb.

"Let’s go," he whispered softly. "This is enough."

Then he looked directly toward his grandfather and father.

"I believe that should make things clear enough," he said coldly. "Stay out of our lives permanently."

With that, he finally started walking away with me again.

"I am sorry."

This time it was Richard’s voice that stopped us.

Rhys scoffed quietly before turning around one last time.

"A little late for that, Father," he replied bitterly. "You should have said that to the ten-year-old version of me you helped turn into this."

The pain behind his voice made my chest ache instantly.

Then without waiting for another response, he turned around and continued walking away without looking back again.

I released a deep breath and rubbed my hands together nervously as we finally moved farther away from them.

The farther we walked, the lighter the pressure inside my chest became.

"Are you sure you are okay?" Rhys asked quietly after a few moments. "Do you need me to call Leo? Are you dizzy? Are you—"

"I am fine, Rhys," I interrupted softly before squeezing his hand reassuringly. "I will be fine."

Even though emotionally, I felt completely drained.

I exhaled slowly before shaking my head.

"I am just surprised that such a wicked man is finally suffering too."

Rhys said nothing immediately.

He simply rubbed his thumb gently across my hand while walking beside me.

Eventually, I stopped walking completely.

Rhys stopped beside me instantly.

I released another deep sigh before rubbing my hands together slowly.

"Karma really works in the strangest ways," I whispered quietly.

Rhys looked at me for a long moment before nodding once.

"That is true," he said softly.