Chapter 5 - The Departure
Alistair stood in the quiet stationery shop.
He had spent five years and millions of dollars to find her.
He had imagined dragging her back to New York.
Begging for forgiveness.
Reclaiming his perfect life.
But looking at Cecilia now, he realized the brutal truth.
She hadn’t just run away.
She had outgrown him.
“Does he know?” Alistair asked, his voice barely a whisper, nodding toward the back room. “Does he know who his real father is?”
Cecilia looked at David, then back at Alistair.
“His real father is the man who stays,” she said.
Alistair closed his eyes.
A single tear fell, tracing the lines of exhaustion on his face.
He reached into his coat pocket and pulled out the diamond wedding ring he had carried for five years.
He placed it on the wooden counter.
“I’m sorry,” Alistair said.
It was five years too late.
He turned around and walked out of the shop, stepping back into the freezing rain.
He climbed into his waiting black car.
May you like
And for the rest of his life, Alistair Westfall had everything money could buy.
And absolutely nothing that mattered.
