Adah huffed and looked away. The idea of worrying about him was absurd.

Allan didn’t seem convinced. He reached out and affectionately ruffled her hair, a gesture that felt far too intimate. “I’m going. Bye.”

Then he turned and vanished into the night.

As the taillights of Allan’s car faded into the distance, Leonel and Melanie emerged from the shadows to join Adah.

“Where are you going, Adah?” Leonel asked, his voice thick with fatherly concern.

“Rosewood Villa,” Adah replied flatly. “Elliana bought it. I’ve been camping out there.”

“Living under someone else’s roof isn’t a life. It’ll never feel like yours,” Leonel said, his eyes pleading. “Come home with me. It’s been years—I just want the chance to look at you and talk.”

“Yes, please come home with us,” Melanie added softly.

Adah met their gaze with cool, clinical detachment. Every instinct she possessed screamed at her to walk away. She felt a flicker of gratitude for how they had stood up for her earlier, risking Gia’s wrath, but she couldn’t reconcile their presence in her life.

Years ago, Melanie had been a stray on the streets until Sally had offered her a roof and a job. If Sally ever returned to find that the very woman she had rescued was now married to her husband, the betrayal would be unbearable.

“Adah, you’ve got the wrong idea about your father and me,” Melanie said, offering a small, bitter smile as if she could read Adah’s mind. “We were never actually married. Your father’s heart hasn’t moved an inch from your mother.”

The confession hit Adah like a physical blow. “What are you talking about?”

Leonel stepped forward and took her hand, his grip warm and steady. “Let’s get off the street. I’ll explain everything once we’re home.”

Adah followed them, but the “home” Leonel led her to wasn’t the mansion she expected. It was a cramped, weathered apartment in a forgotten corner of the city.

Over the years, Gia had bled Leonel dry, forcing him to funnel every cent of his inheritance to Westley. Living on a monthly salary of just five thousand, money was tight.

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The moment Leonel had caught wind of Gia’s plan to publicly disown Adah at the press conference, he had scrambled to rent this modest place, desperate to create a sanctuary where he could live with his daughter.

The moment the door clicked shut, Melanie tied on an apron. “You two catch up. I’ll see what I can whip up in the kitchen.”

As Melanie retreated into the kitchen, Leonel guided Adah to a worn sofa and took a heavy breath, finally revealing everything.

Leonel confessed that he had never intended to remarry after Sally’s departure. However, when Gia had begun relentlessly hounding him with orchestrated blind dates, he had realized he needed a shield. Later, he’d claimed to have married Melanie to silence the gossip, enduring the mockery of high society for “marrying the help.” In truth, their marriage certificate was nothing more than a convincing prop.

“Adah, I love your mother with everything I have. I could never give my heart to anyone else. This apartment is your home—don’t ever think you don’t belong here,” Leonel said.

Adah felt a lump form in her throat, but the scars of the past still throbbed. “Dad, if you loved her so much, why were you so weak? Why did you just stand there while your mother tore her down? Why did you let them ship me off to a backwater town and transfer all your shares to Westley?”

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