Chapter 38

Howard's POV

I reviewed the documents on my tablet, waiting for my mother's arrival.Annie was upstairs with Lucy, their gentle voices occasionally drifting down through the quiet house. The familiar warmth of their presence did little to ease the tension coiling in my chest. After today's revelations about Lucy's burden of guilt, certain conversations could no longer be postponed.

Mother's arrival was announced by the precise click of her heels against the floor. She entered with her usual regal bearing, every movement calculated to project authority. The slight arch of her eyebrow told me she already had an agenda of her own.

"Howard." She settled onto the sofa, smoothing her skirt with practiced elegance. "You wanted to discuss Lucy?"

I set my tablet aside, studying her carefully. Something in her tone made me wary. "Yes, there are some matters we need to address."

"Interesting timing," she mused, a familiar glint in her eye that usually preceded her more calculated moves. "I was just speaking with Catherine earlier today."

I waited, knowing where this was heading but choosing not to make it easier for her. "She happened to see you at lunch." Mother's pause was deliberate,her smile taking on a sharp edge. "With Annie Baker, of all people." "According to her, it looked rather... intimate for an employer-employee relationship." The tension in my jaw tightened imperceptibly. "Is that why you're here,Mother? To discuss office gossip?"

"Darling, you know I only want what's best for you and Lucy." Her voice dripped with manufactured concern. "The Morgan family has been very patient,but-"

"Did you tell Lucy it was her fault?" The words cut through her carefully constructed facade.

Mother's composure wavered for just a moment. "I beg your pardon?"

"The yacht accident." My voice remained deadly calm. "Did you tell a five-year-old child that her parents' death was her fault because she wanted to see dolphins?"

"Howard-"

"Answer the question."

Mother's chin lifted slightly. "Sometimes children need to understand the consequences of their actions."

The surge of cold fury that swept through me was almost overwhelming."Consequences?" I stood. "A freak storm that no one could have predicted was somehow a *consequence* of a child's innocent request?"

"You're being dramatic," Mother waved a dismissive hand. "I merely pointed out-" "That her grandparents' collapse was her fault too?" The ice in my tone made her flinch. "That they might die because of her?" "They were in critical condition," she defended. "The shock of losing their daughter-"

"Was not Lucy's fault." Each word fell like a hammer. "And you knew exactly what you were doing when you put that burden on an already traumatized child."

Mother's facade finally cracked. "Everything I've done has been to protect this family's interests! The Morgan merger-"

"Is irrelevant." I cut her off. "Would you like to see Lucy's psychological evaluations? I wonder what a family court judge would make of a guardian who deliberately traumatizes a child in her care."

"Are you threatening me?" Mother's voice held a note of disbelief.

"No." I met her gaze steadily. "I'm informing you that things are going to change. Your interference in Lucy's life, and in my personal choices, ends now."

"Howard-"

"This isn't a negotiation, Mother. It's a notification." I moved to open the door. "I appreciate your past support of the company. But regarding Lucy,and my personal life - your input is neither required nor welcome."

Mother rose, her composure brittle. "You're making a mistake."

"The only mistake was letting you influence Lucy's care for this long." I held the door. "Goodnight, Mother."Only when she left did I allow my shoulders to slump, moving to stand before the windows. The city lights blurred as I pressed my forehead against the cool glass, trying to process the magnitude of what Lucy had been carrying all these years. I heard Annie's soft footsteps but didn't turn around.

"What happened?" Her gentle voice carried across the room.

The vulnerability in my next words surprised even me. "Annie... could you hold me?"

She crossed the room without hesitation, wrapping her arms around me from behind. "It's okay," she murmured, one hand rubbing soothing circles on my back.

I turned in her embrace, burying my face in her shoulder. Her familiar scent helped anchor me as the evening's emotions threatened to overwhelm. After a long moment, I pulled her closer, holding her with perhaps too much force, but she didn't protest.

We stood like that in comfortable silence until my breathing evened out.When I finally lifted my head, Annie's eyes held nothing but warmth and understanding.

As Annie's arms loosened around me, I found myself reluctant to let the moment end. Her presence had a way of settling the chaos in my mind,bringing clarity where there had been only fury and confusion.

"Annie." Her name escaped before I could second-guess myself. She pulled back slightly, but stayed close enough that I could still feel the warmth of her presence."Hmm?" "I'd like you to consider..." I paused, choosing my words carefully. "Being more than just colleagues. More than friends." Surprise flickered across her features, followed by something softer, more complex. She took a shaky breath. "Howard... what about your mother?Margaret has made it very clear what she thinks of me."

The mention of my mother stirred something fierce in my chest. After today - afterlearning what Margaret had done to Lucy, the guilt she'd placed on an innocent child's shoulders - my voice came out with quiet intensity.

"My mother will no longer dictate the happiness of this family." The steel in my tone surprised even me. "I've allowed her influence to hurt Lucy once. I won't make that mistake again."

Annie's eyes widened slightly at my declaration. She twisted her hands together, a gesture I'd come to recognize as a sign of internal conflict. "It's not just your mother, Howard. I just started at Howard Technologies,and with everything that's happening with Lucy's therapy..." She glanced away,her voice growing softer, less certain. "The timing isn't... I mean,I should focus on..."

Her words trailed off into silence, and something in her expression made me suspect there were deeper reasons she wasn't voicing. The slight tension in her shoulders, the way she seemed to be struggling to find the right words-it felt like she was holding something back.

"Annie, if there's something else-" But before I could finish, she was already backing away. "I should check on Lucy," she said quickly, already turning toward the stairs."Goodnight,Howard." I watched her hurried retreat, the words I'd wanted to say dying in my throat. The speed of her departure only confirmed my suspicion that there was more to her hesitation than just work and timing. But whatever those reasons were, she clearly wasn't ready to share them.

For a long while, I stood in the darkening room, letting the silence settle around me. The house felt emptier somehow, despite knowing both Annie and Lucy were just upstairs. Finally, I moved to my study, needing the familiar comfort of work to distract me from the hollow feeling in my chest.

My jaw clenched as I pulled out my phone. If I couldn't address the hollow feeling in my chest or the questions left unasked, I could at least handle other matters. The call connected after one ring.

"Tomorrow, before school starts." My voice carried an edge of suppressed emotion. "I want everyone at that school to know exactly what Sarah Johnson has done."