A Missing Key 218 Missed Calls One Family Secret novel Chapter 23

Chapter 11

Chapter 11

I requested emergency leave and flew back.

Not out of some sudden rush of family feeling.

But because I needed to close this chapter for good.

At the hospital, Dad looked like he’d aged twenty years.

Half his face had gone slack, and when he tried to talk, the words came out garbled and slurred.

When he saw me walk in, something lit up in his eyes-sharp and desperate.

He tried to raise his arm, making these choked sounds deep in his throat.

Mom was standing next to him, tears streaming down her face. “Robert, look-Nina’s here. She came back.”

Claire and Andrew stood near the window, watching me with unreadable expressions.

I walked over to the bed and looked down at him.

He reached out and grabbed my wrist with what little strength he had left, holding on tight.

His words came out broken and barely coherent.

“…Nina… I’m… sorry… I was… wrong…”

The apology I’d spent an entire lifetime waiting for.

Now that it was finally here, I felt absolutely nothing.

Too little, too late.

“It’s okay,” I said quietly, gently pulling my hand back. “Just focus on recovering.”

I stayed for three days, until his condition stabilized enough for me to leave with a clear conscience.

The whole time, Mom practically shadowed me everywhere I went, trying every possible way to make things right.

Her eyes were full of this aching need to repair what had been shattered.

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