CHAPTER 16
1353 Words
The moment Bella saw Earl clearly—
Her expression changed.
The softness in her eyes disappeared.
Instead of running toward him, instead of smiling, she suddenly pushed him away with both of her small hands.
Earl did not expect it.
His body moved slightly backward from the force, not because it was strong, but because of the shock.
“What are you doing here, you poor dad!?” Bella screamed.
Her voice was sharp, loud, and full of rejection.
Earl froze.
Her words echoed inside his mind.
“When you come,” Bella continued, her face twisting with anger, “I have to change into old clothes and old toys again. I hate you!”
The room suddenly felt cold.
Earl could not move.
He just stared at his daughter.
The same child he had been worried about just minutes ago.
The same child he rushed to see without thinking twice.
And now…
She was looking at him like he was someone she did not want.
“Bella…” Earl tried to speak.
But his voice came out weak.
Before he could say anything else, Kennah stepped in.
“Bella. She’s your dad,” Kennah said firmly.
Her tone carried authority.
Then she quickly called one of the helpers.
“Take her out,” she ordered.
The helper immediately approached Bella and gently held her hand.
But Bella did not stop.
She rolled her eyes in annoyance.
“Uncle Damon is my dad!” she said loudly.
Those words struck Earl deeper than anything else.
He felt it.
Not just in his chest.
But in his pride.
In his identity.
As a father.
As a man.
Before he could react, the helper had already led Bella away from the room.
The sound of her small footsteps slowly faded.
And just like that—
She was gone.
Leaving behind silence.
Heavy.
Painful silence.
Earl remained standing in the same spot.
His hands slowly clenched into fists.
His eyes lowered slightly.
For the first time since he arrived, he looked… lost.
Kennah watched him carefully.
Then she softened her expression again.
“I’m sorry, Earl,” she said.
She stepped closer to him and tried to hold his hand.
But Earl moved backward.
The movement was slow, but clear.
Kennah’s hand froze in the air again.
She slowly pulled it back.
“Look…” she continued, trying to explain. “Bella is just a kid.”
“She’s just talking nonsense. Don’t listen to her.”
Earl did not respond.
His mind was still replaying Bella’s words.
“I hate you.”
“Uncle Damon is my dad.”
Each sentence felt like a knife.
Seeing that Earl remained silent, Kennah quickly added another explanation.
“Fine… maybe Damon was just giving her gifts and presents sometimes,” she said.
“That’s why she likes him.”
Her tone was casual.
As if it was nothing serious.
But Earl slowly lifted his head.
His eyes were no longer soft.
There was something different in them now.
Something colder.
Something more distant.
“Get your ID,” Earl said calmly.
His voice was steady.
“And let’s get divorced, Kennah.”
Kennah blinked.
For a moment, she could not believe what she heard.
“Ghaddd!” she exclaimed in frustration.
She ran her fingers through her hair in irritation.
“You’re being unreasonable again!” she added.
But Earl did not argue.
He just stood there quietly.
Firm.
Unmoving.
Then suddenly—
Kennah’s phone rang.
The sharp sound cut through the tension in the room.
She looked at the screen.
Her expression changed immediately.
It was her mother.
Kennah hesitated for a second before answering the call.
“Hello?” she said.
On the other side of the line, her mother’s voice came out strong and direct.
“Kennah!”
Even Earl could hear how serious it sounded.
“Divorce Earl now,” her mother said without hesitation.
Kennah’s eyes widened slightly.
“Mom, I—”
But she was cut off.
“Or you will lose your position as the heir of the Muller family.”
The words were cold.
Final.
No room for argument.
“You choose,” her mother continued.
“Your future… or him.”
The call ended.
Kennah slowly lowered her phone.
Her hand trembled slightly.
For a moment, she just stood there.
Silent.
Processing everything.
The pressure was now clear.
It was no longer just about pride.
Or emotions.
Or control.
It was about her position.
Her power.
Her identity as the future of the Muller family.
She looked at Earl.
Her expression was complicated.
Conflicted.
For the first time, there was no arrogance in her eyes.
No mockery.
Only hesitation.
Earl stood still.
Waiting.
Not rushing her.
Not forcing her.
But his decision was already clear.
The silence between them grew heavier.
And now…
Kennah was the one who had to choose.
“You must divorce me?” Kennah said with a sarcastic laugh.
Her voice sounded light, but the tension in her eyes said something else.
She looked at Earl from head to toe, as if trying to understand how the man she once controlled so easily had suddenly changed.
“Fine, Earl,” she continued. “If that’s what you need, then I’ll grant it to you.”
Her tone was cold now.
But then—
She paused.
Slowly, Kennah closed her eyes.
The room became quiet again.
When she opened them, something in her expression softened.
“I did love you, Earl,” she said.
Her voice was no longer mocking.
It carried a trace of something real.
Something heavy.
“You don’t even know what I sacrificed for you,” she added.
She took a step closer, her hand slightly lifting as if she wanted to reach for him again.
“I even—”
But before she could finish her sentence—
She cut off herself, then continue.
“You really think you can be with Meave Castillon?” Kennah suddenly changed her tone again.
Her softness disappeared in an instant.
Her lips curled into a bitter smile.
“You must be really desperate.”
Earl did not react to her mockery.
His expression remained calm.
Steady.
“No, Kennah,” he replied quietly.
“I am just trying to do what I failed to do back then.”
Kennah frowned slightly.
She did not fully understand what he meant.
But she did not ask.
Instead, she turned away.
It looked like she was about to leave the room.
Her steps were slow at first.
But then—
Her eyes caught something on the table.
A card.
Kennah stopped walking.
She turned slightly and reached for it.
It was an invitation.
Curious, she picked it up and looked closely.
Her brows slowly lifted as she read the contents.
Then her lips slowly curved into a smirk.
“A wedding invitation?” she muttered.
Earl remained standing behind her.
He did not know what she was holding yet.
Kennah turned around, holding the card between her fingers.
She waved it lightly in the air.
“You really think she’ll marry you, do you?” she said, her voice filled with sarcasm again.
Earl’s eyes moved toward the card.
Something inside him shifted.
Kennah took a step closer and handed the invitation to him.
“Well,” she continued, “she’s going to get married in a month.”
Earl froze.
For a moment, he did not take the card.
But then slowly—
He reached for it.
His fingers felt slightly stiff as he held the invitation.
He looked down.
His eyes scanned the words written on it.
The letters were clear.
Elegant.
And undeniable.
A wedding.
Scheduled in one month.
His grip on the card tightened slightly.
The room suddenly felt quieter than before.
Kennah watched his reaction carefully.
There was satisfaction in her eyes.
“Good luck, Mr. Leech,” she added mockingly.
Her words were sharp.
Deliberate.
She wanted him to feel it.
To realize something.
That maybe…
The world he was trying to step into was never truly meant for him.
- Writer
