Chapter 85

Chapter 85
Jordan's POV

The administrative office is quiet as always. Most students come through these doors only when something has gone wrong-- missed fees, disciplinary meetings, or paperwork they have forgotten to submit. I have spent enough time here over the past several weeks to know exactly where I need to go. My scholarship renewal documents have finally been approved, and all that remains is signing a few forms before they are processed.

The woman in charge hands me a folder. "Just sign where I have marked."

I thank her and lean over the counter, reading through each page instead of signing blindly. Old habits. When I finish, I hand the folder back, "Here." 

"You are all set."

"Thank you," I say, turning towards the hallway.

I have only taken a few steps away when I look up and suddenly stop. Standing several feet away is a woman I recognize, elegant as ever-- Kaelen's mother, speaking with another staff member.

When the conversation ends, she turns. Our eyes meet and for a heartbeat neither of us looks away.

My first instinct is to leave. Nothing good can come from this encounter. I can walk away now, head back to my dorm, and pretend I never saw her. Before I can convince myself out of it, my feet carry me towards her. She notices me approaching but doesn't turn away.

"Hi Mrs Ashford," I greet quietly.

Her expression remains guarded, though not hostile. "Jordan."

The way she says my name surprises me. There is no bitterness in it. 

"I... just wanted to say... I'm sorry for everything that happened." She frowns slightly. "None of it was supposed to happen like that. I never wanted Kaelen to get hurt."

Her gaze searches my face as silence stretches between us. At first, I expect her to tell me to stay away from her son like Kaelen's dad did, which is why I think what I'm doing is insane. But she simply listens. That alone gives me enough courage to ask the question that no matter what answer Elise gives me, it still doesn't feel enough.

"How is he doing?"

Her features soften almost imperceptibly. "He is recovering well. He will be discharged soon."

I let out a breath I have kept in unknowingly. "Thank God."

Mrs Ashford studies me for another moment before saying quietly, "You really care about my son."

A small, helpless smile tugs at my lips. "I really do." My voice thickens uncontrollably. "Believe me, I never wanted any of this. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't wish I had been the one who got shot instead."

Some kind of gentleness... or maybe pity flickers across her face. "That's in the past now, Jordan," she says gently. "Neither of us can change what happened." I nod. "But there is one thing you can still do for him."

I straighten eagerly. "Sure." The answer comes so quickly I don't even think about it. "I'll do anything."

She draws in a slow breath. "I know Kaelen loves you. And I know you love him." I don't say anything because there is no point denying it for his sake. "You are the only person he will listen to now."

Hope blooms so suddenly inside me, my heartbeats picking up. Has something changed?

Mrs Ashford studies me for a moment longer as if weighing words before meeting my eyes again. "Convince him to let you go."

Every bit of hope vanishes. I stare at her, certain I have misunderstood. "What?"

"My husband won't change his mind. If Kaelen keeps fighting him, he will lose everything."

She doesn't say it cruelly. If anything, she sounds exhausted but still the words strike me so harshly that I remain frozen while she keeps talking.

"I watched my eldest son walk away from this family years ago because he refused to become the man his father expected." Her voice grows quieter. "I don't want to watch it happen again. I don't want Kaelen to spend years struggling the way Lucas did."

I listen-- really listen. For the first time, I'm not hearing Kaelen's mother. I'm hearing a woman terrified of losing another child. Until the rest of the speech comes out and my patience hits the roof.

"He has worked his whole life towards inheriting Ashford Industries. His future is there," she continues, her tone getting firmer with every passing word. "You are both still young. One day you will meet other people."

I close my eyes briefly, willing the sudden pain in my heart away so I don't cry. I have done enough of that.

"But if he walks away from his family now..." she says, not even trying to make it softer. "He may never get any of it back."

For the next several seconds I stand there, the hallway feels impossibly still. My head isn't. Her words turn over and over until they become a loop I can't fall off. They make sense in a way. It's true Kaelen has much more to lose here. I always knew that. But I also know that this isn't a decision I should make for him. Neither should they.

When I finally speak, my voice is surprisingly calm but confident. "I'm sorry but you are wrong." Her brows draw together but I don't think about how me talking back might be out of line. "I grew up without a mother because she chose not to be part of my life. So, I can tell you something with absolute certainty."

I hold her blinking with disbelief gaze.

"The greatest thing a parent can give their child isn't money. It isn't an inheritance or a company." I pause for a moment letting that sink in. "It's love and support, knowing they will still have you, even when the rest of the world turns against them." I sigh, shaking my head. "If Kaelen doesn't have that, what does he have?"

Mrs Ashford breathes hard. "I just want what's best for my son."

"Have you ever asked yourself what 'best' looks like to him?" My response comes automatically. "Or have you only decided what it should look like?"

The question lingers between us. She has no answer. I'm not trying to hurt her. I can see the conflict in her eyes. She loves Kaelen, I don't doubt that anymore. But love isn't always enough. Hers has become fear, disguising itself as protection.

I take a small step back. "I hope he never grows to resent you for that." Her eyes lift sharply but I finish anyway. "Because if all of this ends and he realizes the people who should have stood beside him were the ones asking him to give up who he is, I don't know how he would ever forgive that."

Mrs Ashford remains rooted where she stands. I offer her a respectful nod and walk away before she can respond.

Only after I leave the building does the conversation truly catch up with me. My pulse hammers against my ribs. I just stood in the middle of campus and challenged the woman whose husband wants me erased from Kaelen's life.

What got into me? I'm not confrontational yet somehow every word came naturally, not because I hate her but because I can't bear the thought of Kaelen believing love is something he has to earn. My dad taught me better.

By the time I reach my dorm building, my heartbeat still hasn't settled. I climb the stairs slowly, exhaling as I reach my door. All I want now is a few minutes alone.

I push it open and step in, but a figure sitting inside forces me to freeze right next to the door.

"Kaelen..." the name barely leaves my mouth.

He is already up, standing in the middle of our room. For one suspended moment, I can't breathe. I have imagined this moment a thousand different ways. None of them look like this. There is no distance separating us. It's just the two of us, finally. Yet neither of us moves.