Chapter 276

Chapter 276:
She understood with painful clarity that her father’s tragic death had devastated far more than just her own existence.
Her mother had endured equally profound devastation from that catastrophic loss.
However, circumstances and unspoken grievances had driven them to this cold impasse.
Her phone vibrated once more against the car’s console.
Another incoming call demanded her attention.
Millie wrestled with uncertainty before ultimately deciding to accept the communication.
“Why don’t you come up? I saw your car.” Her mother’s voice traveled through the speaker with characteristic directness.
Millie directed her gaze upward toward the third-floor window, where her mother’s silhouette stood framed against the warm interior lighting.
“Very well,” Millie responded with resigned acceptance.
Upon reaching the suite’s entrance, the door swung open before her knuckles could make contact with its surface.
Her mother, Nicole Morrison, materialized in the doorway with composed dignity.
They regarded each other through a moment of profound silence, neither woman finding the courage to voice the familial acknowledgment both desperately craved.
Millie discovered herself incapable of uttering the simple word “Mom,” while Nicole found her throat constricted against any verbal expression whatsoever.
Without exchanging pleasantries, Nicole guided Millie inside and positioned herself on the plush sofa, gesturing for her daughter to join her.
After an eternity of uncomfortable silence stretched between them, Millie summoned the strength to break their mutual paralysis.
“Since your arrival in Crobert, have you made the journey to visit him?”
“Yes, I have completed that obligation,” Nicole replied with measured precision. Both women understood perfectly that “him” referenced Nicole’s second husband—the man she had married but eventually divorced following James’ death and who now resided behind prison walls.
Millie delivered her announcement with stark simplicity. “My marriage is approaching its final dissolution as well.”
Nicole’s expression remained as unmovable as carved marble when she replied, “Very well.” ᴛʜɪs ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀ ɪs ᴜᴘᴅᴀᴛᴇ ʙʏ ͟.net
Silence descended upon them once again like a heavy curtain, suffocating any possibility of meaningful connection.
The antique clock mounted on the wall continued its soft, rhythmic ticking, marking each precious second of their strained encounter. Eventually, Nicole broke their stalemate with devastating finality.
“I will personally manage all aspects of Ari’s legal paperwork, so don’t come back.” She was politely but firmly requesting Millie’s departure.
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