Chapter 122. Finally, Divorce

Chapter 122. Finally, Divorce
Alexandra walks back into the ranch just as Robert is on the phone with Brandon. Her eyes go straight to Roxanne, who’s currently half buried in her eggs.

Roxanne immediately looks up at her, her eyes following Alexandra as she walks into the room. Madelyn’s eyes move between the two of them, silently watching their exchange, while Caleb is simply happy that everyone is home together again.

“Have you eaten?” Roxanne asks gently.

“I had some toast,” Alexandra replies.

“Sit here.” Roxanne gestures softly to the chair next to her.

Alexandra complies almost immediately, pulling out the chair and sitting beside Roxanne as though it is the most natural thing in the world. Roxanne then reaches for a new plate and places a fresh slice of toast on it.

She spreads butter over the warm bread first, watching it melt slightly into the surface, before adding a generous layer of wild berry jam. She then takes two eggs and places them beside the toast.

“She made the bread and the butter,” Caleb says happily, looking at Alexandra. “Her bread is always the best.”

“Oh, really? She can bake bread?” Alexandra asks, turning her attention toward Roxanne.

Roxanne gives her a sheepish smile, already knowing where the conversation might be going. “Well, you never let me touch the kitchen. I can do a lot of things,” Roxanne replies as she picks up another piece of egg and puts it into her mouth.

Alexandra watches her for a moment, the corner of her lips lifting into a small smile. “I know you can do a lot of things,” Alexandra replies, her voice calm as she picks up the toast and takes a bite.

Madelyn, who’s sitting nearby, immediately catches the meaning behind Alexandra’s words. She slowly looks from Alexandra to Roxanne, her expression turning into disbelief. Of everyone at the table, she’s clearly the only person who understands the innuendo hidden beneath the innocent-sounding sentence.

She simply stares at her sister and rolls her eyes. Roxanne notices and gives Madelyn a warning look from across the table. “Shut up.”

Madelyn raises her eyebrows as if to say she hasn’t said a single word, but the amused look on her face makes it clear that she doesn’t need to. Roxanne turns her attention back to her breakfast, trying to hide the small smile threatening to appear.

Caleb, completely unaware of the exchange happening between his sisters and Alexandra, continues happily eating his breakfast. For him, the morning is simple. Everyone is finally home, the table is full, and the food is good.

Robert remains on the phone with Brandon, occasionally glancing toward the table while listening to whatever his brother is saying. Meanwhile, Alexandra takes another bite of the toast Roxanne prepared for her, looking entirely comfortable beside her.

Not long after, Robert finally sits at the table. He looks tired, but there’s something different in his expression now, something more settled than before. He greets Alexandra politely.

“Now that you’re all here, apologies for the time, Alex,” he says.

“No problem. Do what you need to do, Robert,” Alexandra replies.

Robert takes a deep breath before looking between Roxanne, Madelyn, and Caleb. His hands rest against the edge of the table, his fingers tightening slightly as he gathers the courage to say what he has clearly been carrying for a long time.

“I have to tell you three something.” Roxanne already has a feeling about where this is going.

Ever since she came home, she hasn’t seen her mother even once. She has the idea that her mother is, perhaps, Alexandra keeps her away from her, as Brandon’s demands. She has kept that thought to herself, refusing to ask because she knows there’s something happening behind the scenes.

“I’m going to divorce your mother,” Robert says.

Caleb’s fork slips from his hand and lands against the plate. He looks at his father in surprise, but there’s no anger in his expression. Madelyn goes completely still, while Roxanne looks at her father.

For the next twenty minutes, Robert tells them everything. He tells them about the debts and how they had managed to pay them before, only for those debts to begin piling up again.

He admits that he kept giving Amelia chances, kept covering for her, and kept believing that somehow things would get better. He tells them about the money, the lies, and how long he had been enabling her.

Then he tells them about Roxanne. He explains why she suddenly disappeared from their lives years ago and what happened between her and Amelia.

He tells them how Brandon took Roxanne in, how he became the father she needed, and how Robert eventually gave up his parental rights in exchange for money to erase the debts their mother had.

When he reaches Caleb, his voice breaks. “I’m sorry, son.” Caleb just looks at him.

“You wouldn’t be at that death door if I hadn’t enabled your mother,” Robert says, his eyes filling with tears. “You wouldn’t have been out there trying to hunt for meat or pick wild berries just so there’d be food. We would’ve been just fine with this ranch if I had done what I should’ve done.”

Caleb lowers his eyes, he feels like something has been lifted from his shoulder. “So, we don’t have to hunt a rabbit again then?” He asks weakly.

“We could, only when we want. Not because we need meat. I’ll fix our ranch, or my brother is going to kill me.” Robert says, chuckling, trying to lighten the mood.

Hearing everything directly from her father feels different for Madelyn. She has heard it from Roxanne, but hearing Robert finally admit everything makes it feel real. It’s painful, and somehow it makes the years of confusion feel even more senseless.

“Why did you let her?” Madelyn asks weakly.

Robert looks at his daughter. “Because I loved her, and I was blind.”

Caleb looks toward him again. “Why hasn’t she visited me while I was in the hospital?”

Madelyn's expression hardens. “She blamed you for making Dad focus on you instead of the money.”

Roxanne quietly adds, “And she’s been extorting money from my father for the past four years.”

She doesn’t need to explain which father she means. Brandon is the man she considers her father now, especially after Robert gave up his parental rights. Robert just stared at his plate and muttered apologies for Roxanne, the daughter he lost.

Then Caleb looks at Roxanne. “Can you be my sister again?”

Roxanne’s expression softens immediately. Before she can answer, Alexandra speaks gently. “She’s always been your sister, kiddo. Always has, always will be. Her being adopted as Brandon’s daughter doesn’t change the blood you three share.”

Her words are gentle, but Roxanne notices the way Madelyn looks at her afterward. Alexandra isn’t only reassuring Caleb. She’s reassuring Madelyn too, keeping the promise Roxanne made to her the night before. Nothing about Roxanne becoming a Romanov has to erase the bond she has with her siblings.

Robert wipes his eyes and takes another breath. “I’ve already spoken to the lawyer Brandon sent me,” he says. “I’m going through with it. I’m filing for divorce, and this time, I’m not changing my mind.”

Roxanne watches him carefully. For the first time, her father sounds certain, so sure about it. “You better be serious.” She warns him.

“I will, I’m not losing another child.” He says.