Second Chance His Unending Love (Calista Hartwell) novel Chapter 36

Chapter 36

Calista drove to Cloudy Golf Course with Olivia, stopping to

buy a brand-new set of golf clubs on the way.

She also asked around to find out which part of the course Hugh was playing on.

Lush green lawn stretched out before them. In the distance, Hugh stood on the tee, mid-swing.

Ten years had left their mark on him.

His temples were completely gray now, his once straight posture slightly hunched with age.

A cough racked his body every now and then, a sign that he’d caught a cold.

Calista got out of the car but hesitated to approach.

A familiar feeling of trepidation welled up in her chest.

She was nervous to approach something long lost and cherished deeply. The closer she got, the more afraid she begame.

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“Mom, you’re squeezing my hand too tight.” Olivia pulled her reddened fingers free.

Calista apologized quickly, but Olivia just tossed her ponytail over her shoulder and waved enthusiastically at Hugh.

“Grandpa!” she called out, her voice bright and clear.

The shout echoed across the quiet course.

Several elderly men nearby turned to glance in their

direction.

Undaunted, Olivia skipped forward, her shoes crunching on

the neatly trimmed grass.

“Grandpa! Mom and I came to see you!”

Hugh stared at the pretty young girl standing before him, her features a perfect echo of Calista’s face all those years ago.

“Olivia?” he asked, almost afraid to believe it.

“It’s me! I’ve missed you so much!” she chirped.

Hugh blinked, his eyes glistening with unshed tears as he Pooked at her.

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“Good girl…”

He abandoned his golf game entirely, bending down to pat Olivia’s head gently, his touch full of affection.

Calista walked over slowly, her throat tight with emotion. She wanted to call out to him, to say “Dad,” but the word stuck in her throat, impossible to utter.

Hugh looked at her, his expression unreadable. He stared

for a long moment, then turned and walked away without a word, his back rigid with anger.

“Grandpa?” Olivia hurried after him, her voice worried. “Are you still mad at Mom?”

Hugh let out a bitter snort. “She’s the one who left me. What

right do I have to be mad?”

His steps grew faster and faster, his rage evident in every

stride.

Still, the vigor in his movements suggested his health wasn’t

as bad as Calista had feared.

“Mom got divorced from Dad,” Olivia called out.

3/9

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Hugh’s footsteps froze mid-stride. He turned around slowly, his eyes wide with disbelief.

All those years ago, Calista had fought tooth and nail to be with Killian, declaring her love for him with such passion and

conviction. Divorce seemed impossible.

Calista stepped forward, her voice steady despite the lump in her throat. “It’s true. We filed the papers yesterday.”

“Who’s talking? Is that the wind?” Hugh sneered, turning his back to her again, clearly refusing to acknowledge her

presence.

A sharp, dull pain pierced Calista’s heart.

He hadn’t forgiven her, not after all these years. He still blamed her for choosing her husband and children over her

own parents.

Memories flooded back of that terrible day ten years ago.

Calista had been rushed to the hospital after the fall, clinging

to life by a thread.

When she finally woke up from the coma, Hugh gave her an 4/9

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ultimatum: divorce Killian.

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Olivia and Austin had been only six years old then. She’d

been unable to leave them, unable to abandon the man she

loved.

Enraged, Hugh renounced the land deal and disowned

Calista, casting her out of the family for good.

Calista took a deep breath. “What do I have to do to get you

to talk to me?”

Just then, a man in a crisp white polo shirt waved at them, his

tone teasing.

“Hugh, you gonna finish the game or what? If you quit now, you forfeit, and that means you give up the merger deal.”

Hugh’s eyes narrowed into slits, his expression hardening.

“Cut the crap, Nick. We both know who’s going to win this.”

Calista recognized the name instantly.

Nick Styles was the man her father was supposed to

negotiate with-Killian’s interference had driven up his price.

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This deal was what had stressed Hugh so much.

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She was the one who’d caused all this trouble in the first

place.

Determination flashed in Calista’s eyes as she walked over to Nick, who was leaning against his golf club with a smug smile.

“How many strokes is Mr. Hartwell behind?” she asked.

“Two,” Nick replied.

“Let me give it a try,” she said.

A caddy stood beside Nick, holding an umbrella to shield him

from the sun.

Nick eyed her up and down with a smirk that didn’t reach his

eyes.

“Just one par-4 hole left. Even if you sink two shots, you’ll only

tie me.”

A hole-in-one was impossible for an ordinary woman like

Calista.

Calista raised an eyebrow, walking over to pick up a white 6/9

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golf ball from the ground. Her gaze was steady and

unwavering.

“How do you know what I’m capable of until I try?”

*****

Inside the clubhouse lounge, Killian sat with a group of

business associates.

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They were heavyweights in the industry; their conversations

laced with talk of multimillion-dollar deals and market

trends.

A single word from them could make or break a company’s

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