And suddenly, I remembered all the times he had quietly tried to warn me.
Not that Derek was poor.
Not that his company was struggling.
But that love should never make me feel obligated to disappear inside someone else’s ambitions.
I had mistaken those warnings for parental interference.
Now I understood them differently.
My father stepped closer.
“Amelia, sweetheart, none of this changes how proud we are of you.”
I looked down at my wedding dress.
The hem was torn.
One sleeve was wrinkled.
The fabric was stained from my hurried escape through the service stairs.
I gave a small, painful laugh.
“I don’t feel like someone you should be proud of.”
He gently lifted my chin.
“You faced something terrible today. You listened to the evidence, protected yourself, and refused to let fear decide what happened next.”
His eyes softened.
“That’s courage.”
I leaned into his embrace.
