Callie’s POV
The silence in the room had changed.
It was no longer the uncomfortable kind, filled with unspoken words.
This one was heavier.
More… final.
Like whatever was about to be said couldn’t be undone.
I stayed standing.
I didn’t want to sit.
I didn’t want to give them the comfort of a normal conversation.
“Go ahead,” I said, crossing my arms. “Because I swear, this better make sense.”
My father didn’t react to my tone. He didn’t even seem offended. He just watched me for a few seconds longer, as if weighing every word before speaking.
“Everything we did…” he began, “was to protect you.”
I let out a dry laugh.
“Of course. Abandoning your daughter for seventeen years sounds exactly like that.”
My mother lowered her gaze for a moment.
That hurt more than I expected.
“I
