Through the open study door, he could see the crumpled figure on the floor. But he didn’t turn back. He continued his pursuit.
Alexander’s eyes fluttered shut. It was almost laughable. In his father’s mind, Heather and the family’s reputation would always matter more than his disobedient son.
—
In the hallway, Jake finally caught up to Bianca. He reached for her arm, but she violently shook him off. “Don’t touch me!” Her voice was choked with sobs, her eyes filled with an icy disappointment. “Jake, after all these years, what am I to you? A free housekeeper? A trophy to decorate your life?”
“Calm down. It’s not what you think,” Jake said, his attempt at an explanation sounding feeble even to his own ears. “Heather and I are in the past. I just want to find her, to get answers about what happened. That’s all.”
“That’s all?” Bianca’s laugh was brittle and sharp, tears finally spilling down her cheeks. “You said you’d give me a settlement. Is that what ‘that’s all’ means? Jake, I have been with you for so long, from when you had nothing to your position as the head of the Davidson family. I never asked for anything but a stable home and a husband who truly cared for me.”
“But you? You never had me in your heart. You never had this family!”
She wiped her tears away with the back of her hand. “Let’s get a divorce. From now on, your life, Heather’s life… none of it has anything to do with me. I just want to take Alex and live in peace.”
Without another glance at him, she turned and walked toward the stairs. This time, her steps were firm, each one a final farewell to the life she once knew.
Jake stood frozen, watching her resolute back, his thoughts in turmoil. He wanted to go after her, but the words wouldn't come. His pride, and his decades-long obsession with Heather, held him in place.
In the end, he could only watch as Bianca’s figure disappeared around the corner.

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