Chapter 176

Vane Verrick wasn't the kind of man who raised his voice. He believed in restraint, in logic, in letting reason speak louder than emotion. But today, none of that mattered. Not when he looked into the eyes of the man who had destroyed his daughter's life.

The front door was still swinging on its hinges when he crossed the room in a blur of fury.

"You..." Vane's voice shook-part rage, part disbelief. "You've got the nerve to stand here? In my house? After what you did to her?"

His hands curled into fists. His breathing turned ragged. For a moment, he looked like he was about to throw a punch for the first time in his life.

Before Jaden could respond, another voice ripped through the air—sharp, high- pitched, and full of rage.

"You bastard! You animal! I'll kill you where you stand!"

Nora Verrick stormed out of the kitchen, eyes wide, cheeks blotched red with fury. Her apron flapped behind her like a cape, but her hand was deadly steady around the gleaming cleaver she held high.

Mia shrieked in Jaden's arms, her tiny voice piercing the chaos. The moment froze.

Selena jumped between them, grabbing her mother's arm before the cleaver could fall.

"Mum, please!" she cried, her voice already cracking from the tension. "Not in front of Mia! Please stop-just stop!"

But Nora wasn't listening. Her rage had snapped loose. Her body trembled with years of resentment, and her eyes locked on Jaden with pure hatred.

"Do you have any idea what your silence did to us?" she hissed, chest heaving. "We were thrown out like trash from the family estate. Vane's father disowned us. Friends turned their backs. All because of you."

She pointed the cleaver at Jaden like it was a sword. "You ruined Selena's life. She was a top student. She had plans. A future. And then she came home pregnant and broken. And you vanished."

Her voice broke, but the fury didn't. "You didn't just disappear. You left us to rot in the fallout. You're no man. You're a curse."

Mia's cries grew louder. Her small arms clung to Jaden's neck as she sobbed into his shoulder.

Vane couldn't take it anymore.

"Enough!” His roar stopped everything.

It silenced Nora. It stunned Selena. Even Jaden's breathing caught.

Vane moved fast. He stepped forward, grabbed the cleaver from Nora's hand, and pulled her into his arms before she collapsed. Her body folded against him, shaking, breath uneven.

He looked up at Jaden. His eyes were cold. Steel.

"You want forgiveness?" he asked, voice low and lethal. “You're five years too late. Whatever pain you think you felt, it doesn't compare to what we endured. Watching my daughter cry herself to sleep every night, hearing my granddaughter ask why she doesn't have a dad... that is torture."

He took a deep breath, then pointed to the door. "So do us all a favor. Leave. And don't ever come back."

But Jaden didn't move.

"I'm not going anywhere."

His tone was calm, but beneath it was fire. "I didn't come back to stir up the past. I

came back because I am the past-and the future."

He glanced down at Mia, still

whimpering in his arms. He held her closer. "I know what I cost Selena. know the weight of what t left behind And not here to run from it. I'm here to fix it. Piece by piece. Day by day."

"You think I care about being forgiven? I don't. I care about being present. I care

about Mia. About Selena. About making sure they never cry alone again."

He looked up

straight into Vane's

eyes. "They're not just people I left behind. They're my family. Selena is my queen. Mia is my princess. And I'll build a kingdom with my bare hands if have to just to give then the life they were denied."

Nora pulled herself away from Vane, fire back in her eyes.

"You think throwing around pretty words and fairytales is going to fix everything?" she snapped. "You think some polished speech makes you a father? Or a man?"

She pointed to the door. "You don't

get to waltz back in and rewrite history You don't get to show up like

some savior after five years of

silence Get the hell out of my house

before I drag you out!"

"I'm serious," Vane added, voice like stone. "You've said your piece. Now get out, or

I'm calling the cops."

Jaden didn't budge. "Go ahead. Call them."

Nora's hand went to her mouth in disbelief. "You arrogant-"

"I'm not here to fight. But I'm also not here to run," Jaden said. "I've got nothing left

to lose but everything left to give."

The tension was thick. One wrong move and the room would explode.

Vane's hand hovered over his phone. Every part of him wanted to press the button. But deep down... he hesitated.

He looked at his daughter. Selena hadn't moved. She stood frozen between her past and her future, her hands shaking at her sides.

He looked at Mia, whose sobs had quieted into hiccups. She was watching her mother with wide eyes, confused, scared, clinging to a man she'd never known but somehow trusted.

And then-Selena spoke.

Her voice was soft. Shaky. But it cut through the tension like a blade.

"Dad... Mum..."

They both turned to her.

She wiped a tear from her cheek.

"Please... let him stay."