"I understand your perspective, but you can't involve Michaela," Joana asserted. "She deserves to have quality time with her father. Your immediate retreat to the study room upon returning from work, avoiding any interaction with me as if my mere presence is toxic, is concerning. You've even breached your own rule of excluding children from the study room by allowing her in when I'm present. If it weren't for her insistence tonight, you wouldn't have partaken in the dinner we dedicated our evening to preparing. What kind of message does this convey to your daughter?"
In response, Elijah scoffed. "Whose initiative was the dinner, anyway? Yours or hers?" His tone turned icy, but Joana made an effort not to be swayed.
"That's irrelevant," Joana maintained, crossing her arms.
Elijah rose, h
