I gently pulled away from the hug and offered her a grateful smile. "Thank you so much for standing up for me tonight."
Without waiting for either of them to respond or try to block my path again, I turned around, walked straight out of the hospital room, and left Lily and Derek standing behind me in the quiet clinic.
A short while later, I walked through the front doors of the grand mansion, bracing myself for whatever was waiting inside. The moment I stepped into the central living room, I realized that the entire family was already present, sitting together like a council. Desmond was there, along with his father, his mother, and Ema.
"How exactly dare you show your miserable face back in this house!" Desmond's father roared, slamming his fist onto the armrest as he stood up. "Yo
