Chapter 295 Garrett

Chapter 295 Garrett
Garrett

I really didn’t wanna go.
Part of me had been hoping they wouldn’t let me see her. Not that day. Maybe not ever.

But the part of me that was still capable of forgiveness knew that wasn’t who I wanted to be. 

So there we were.

We arrived halfway through visiting hours, just as my father stepped out of the secured hallway and entered the waiting area.
He had that in-control kinda facade, but I could tell he wasn't doing as well as he was pretending. The moment he saw me, something desperate entered his expression.

“Son.”

I tightened my grip on Aslan’s hand but didn’t answer.

Dad looked like he wanted to come closer. Thankfully, something in my face stopped him.

Olivia stepped between us. “How is Helena doing, Dad?”

“She’s medically stable, but she’s under psychiatric care. The doctors are calling it an acute psychiatric crisis.”

“What's next?” She asked.

“They’re still evaluating her, but they expect to transfer her to an inpatient treatment facility once she’s stable enough to leave the hospital.”

“Does she know where she is?” She asked again.

“Sometimes, perfectly. But there are moments when...” Dad rubbed a hand across his face. “She loses grip of reality.”

I stared at the secured door.

Aslan leaned closer. “I can wait in the cafeteria if you want.”

“No.” The word came out too quickly. I looked at him. “Stay with me. Please.”

“Of course, babe.”

A nurse admitted the three of us into the ward. Dad remained behind, understanding he wasn’t invited.
Mom’s room was only a couple of doors down. Through the narrow window, I could see part of the bed and her shape beneath a white blanket. 

I moved closer, but every step became harder than the last. When I finally reached the window, I looked inside.
She seemed pale. Her hair lay loose and tangled against the pillow, and there wasn’t much trace of the usually perfect Helena Williams.

My hand moved toward the door, but I couldn’t touch it. The memories came too quickly. 
I stumbled backward. “I can’t.”

My lion caught me immediately. “That’s okay.”

“I thought I could, but I can’t go in there.” I looked at him, ashamed of how badly I was trembling. “Does that make me a horrible person?”

“No.” He held my face gently between his hands. “It makes you someone who was hurt by the person inside that room. You came. You made sure she was alive and being cared for.”

Olivia rested a hand on my shoulder. “You’ve already shown her more compassion than she ever showed you when you were the one trapped in a hospital, Garr.”

My eyes burned.
“Can we sit down for a minute?”

“Of course,” Aslan whispered.

We returned to the waiting area. I sat with my lion’s hand locked around mine while Dad remained across the room. He’d been watching me the entire time, waiting for an opportunity I had no intention of giving him.

But the second Olivia went to speak with the nurse about Mom’s condition and possible transfer, Dad took a step toward me. “Garrett, please. I know this isn’t the right place, but I need to speak to you.”

I considered walking away. Instead, I lifted my eyes to my father.
“Fine,” I said. “Talk.”

My lion squeezed my hand. “I'll check on Olivia.”

I let him go not to spare my father, but to spare him from the tension of this moment.

“I need you to believe me, Garrett. I didn’t know what Graves was doing to you. I swear to you, I never knew.” Dad lowered his eyes. “I should never have allowed her to handle—”

“Handle what?” My voice rose before I could stop it. “Me? Is that what I was to you? Something for your wife to handle?”

“That isn’t what I meant.”

“But that’s exactly what you did. Maybe Mom came up with the ideas, but you signed the papers. You gave them permission to lock me up. You paid Graves. You let her send me back every time she decided I needed to be fixed.”

“I trusted them. Graves was a respected doctor, and your mother—”

“Why didn't you trust me…?” The words tore out of me. “...when I begged you to get me away from him?”

Dad’s face tightened. “They told me you were lying. I didn't know who to believe…”

“So you stopped coming.”

He went silent.
Tears burned behind my eyes, but I refused to look away. “It was easier than finding out the truth, right? You didn’t abuse me, Dad, but you didn't save me either. You are as responsible as she is.”

His eyes filled. “And for that, I am sorry, son. I will regret it for the rest of my life.”

A part of me wanted to believe him. The stupid little boy who had spent years watching the door and hoping his father might finally walk through it still wanted those words.

Dad leaned forward. “Please, let us start over. Just you and me. Come home for Christmas. We can take our time, we can be father and son again...”

“We never were, Dad... And my home is at Crownwell.”

“No, Garrett. That house will always be your home too. Everything I have will still be yours one day. The company, the properties, all of it. When you finish college, there will be a place waiting for you in the business. Nothing that happened has changed the future I built for you.”

And just like that, I understood.
He wasn’t offering me himself. He was offering me the house, the company, and the inheritance, because those were the only things he had ever considered valuable.
“What about Mom?”

His gaze moved toward the secured doors. “I loved your mother. Part of me always will. But after her testimony and the public response, there was no other responsible choice. My attorneys and the board agreed that immediate divorce proceedings were necessary to separate her actions from the company. It protected our employees, our investors, and everything our family spent generations building.”

“You divorced her to protect the company.”

“I could no longer support what she had done.”

“That isn’t what you said.”

“Garrett—”

“You didn’t leave her because she destroyed me. You left her because everyone found out.” I stared at him, and for the first time in my life, I didn’t see the powerful man I had spent years trying to impress. I saw a lonely, frightened man protecting a pile of money because he had already sacrificed everything else for it. “Your lawyers found a way to put all the blame on her, save the company, and make you look like the innocent father who had no idea what was happening inside his own home.”

“That isn’t fair.”

“No. It isn’t. None of it was. But now, you don’t get to walk away without losing anything.”

His face went pale. “What are you saying?”

“You had a son who adored you. I would’ve done anything for one hour of your time. I worked myself half to death because I wanted you to look at me and be proud.”

“Garrett, I was proud of you. I am proud of you.”

“You never told me when it could’ve mattered.” My voice broke. “You had a daughter who adored you too. Olivia spent her whole life trying to impress you, trying to prove that she deserved a place beside you. You never saw her either.”

Dad looked toward the hallway where she had disappeared.

“And for better or worse, you had a wife who spent her entire life fighting your battles, raising your company, your kids, and every other responsibility you put before her for whatever affection was left over.” I shook my head. “You had a family, Father. We weren’t perfect, but we loved you.”

His mouth opened, but nothing came out.

“You protected your fortune. I hope you enjoy it. Enjoy your company, your houses, and that spotless name you care so much about. But when you go home tonight, none of us will be there. And that is the price you get to pay.”

A tear slipped down his face. I had never seen my father cry before. Once, that might have broken me.
Now I only felt tired.

“I forgive you,” I told him. “I don’t want to spend the rest of my life hating you. But forgiveness doesn’t mean you get me back. I don’t want anything yours. I already have a life, and you’re not part of it.”

“Please.” Dad’s voice cracked as he leaned toward me. “Please think about it. In the meantime, you won’t lack anything. Anything you need, son.”

The only thing I’d ever needed was his love, and even now, not once had he said, “I love you.”

“Goodbye, Father.”

Dad called my name as I walked away.
This time, I didn’t stop. I never went back to that hospital either.