Chapter 4 - The Father’s War
Victor Caldwell did not come to the hospital.
He sent a message.
Come home. Now.
Sebastian read it while sitting alone in the hospital chapel.
He had not prayed in years.
He did not know what he was supposed to say.
Sorry felt too small.
Forgive me felt selfish.
So he sat in silence beneath the stained-glass windows and tried to understand the man he had allowed himself to become.
His phone rang.
Victor.
Sebastian answered.
“You knew,” he said.
His father was silent for half a second.
Then he replied, “You are emotional.”
“You knew Daniel was mine.”
“I knew Rowan was trying to trap you.”
“You forged evidence.”
“I protected you.”
“You destroyed my family.”
Victor’s voice hardened.
“You had no family. You had a distraction. The Whitlow marriage is essential to the company.”
Sebastian stared at the chapel altar.
“Daniel is my son.”
“He is an inconvenience.”
The words landed like a physical blow.
Sebastian’s voice became cold.
“Do not ever call him that again.”
Victor paused.
For the first time, Sebastian heard surprise in his father’s silence.
“You will not throw away your future for a woman who lied to you.”
“She did not lie.”
“She hid things.”
“So did you.”
Victor’s tone sharpened.
“If you continue this foolishness, you will lose your position at Caldwell Life Sciences.”
Sebastian looked through the chapel doors toward the maternity ward.
For thirty-eight years, he had feared losing his father’s approval.
Then he thought of Daniel’s tiny hand.
“I would rather lose a title,” Sebastian said, “than lose my son twice.”
He ended the call.
Within an hour, the consequences began.
Sebastian’s executive assistant informed him that his access to internal company systems had been suspended.
His father issued a statement to the board claiming Sebastian was taking “personal leave.”
Miranda’s family withdrew from the wedding agreement.
The Whitlows did not want scandal.
But Sebastian did not go home.
He returned to Rowan’s room with a cup of tea for her and a small coffee for Luke.
Rowan looked surprised.
“You are still here?”
“Yes.”
“You should probably be dealing with your father.”
“I am.”
“From a hospital hallway?”
“Yes.”
For the first time, something almost like a smile appeared in Rowan’s face.
“Your father is going to hate that.”
“I know.”
“You are not afraid?”
Sebastian looked down at Daniel.
“I am terrified.”
May you like
Rowan studied him.
“Good,” she said softly. “Maybe fear will finally teach you to listen.”
