with a new, stronger one. The locksmith handed me a set of three shiny, new keys. I gave one to Maria and put the other two in my pocket.

ss. I watched from the living room window as he tried it once, t

re in there! What di

him shout. It was a petty victory, but it was a victory nonethe

minutes later. "You can't lock me out of

a simple repl

ives. I went through my father's study, boxing up every

. As I worked, I felt a strange sense of lightness. I wasn't erasing my father's past, I was protecting hi

ibutor. I carefully separated his contributions from my father' s core work, creating two distinct piles. It was a slow

another car pulled up. Not Julian's. It was Liam Hayes. He got out of

d. "You didn't answer my texts. I

genuine smile touching my l

ulian. He jumped out of his car, his face a thundercloud of fury.

towards us across the lawn. He didn't eve

my voice steady. I didn't flinch. "

"You lock me out of the house, you ignore my calls, and now y

y. "And my guests are my concern. Yo

n. He was taller than Julian, with a quiet but commanding presence.

dain. "And who are you? Her new protector?" He let out a harsh l

oard. It was another to try and poison a new friendship, to isolate me even further. I felt a surge of white-hot anger. The

lian," I said, my voice

ntrol, that his usual tactics of intimidation and manipulation weren't working. He sh

t out the breath I had been ho

d to see that," I

you're up against." He looked at me, his gaze softening. "He mentioned

, my thr

is voice low. "He's trying to destroy you. He's using your perso

confidential letter to my own doctor explaining the family stress and my role as a caregiver, mentioning the emotional toll it was taking. It

whispered. "

nk he would. He's not just fighting for research. H

e ultimate betrayal. He had taken my trust and turned it into ammunition. The fight wasn't just about my fat