“Yes, sir, I do,” he replied calmly. “I know she’s more than her last name, or the money attached to it.”
My father let out a mocking laugh.
“Oh, I see. You’ve got all the right lines. It’s clear you’re not in this for love, but for what you can gain.”
“Actually, sir,” Ethan answered steadily, “I don’t care about your money. Or your status. I care about Anna.”
My father’s face flushed.
“You expect me to believe that?” he snapped. “You’re just a janitor—a nobody.”
Ethan remained perfectly composed.
“I may be a janitor,” he replied, “but I know honesty. And respect. I know that Anna deserves more than being treated like a pawn.”
Anger mixed with confusion crossed my father’s face.
“And what gives you the right to lecture me about respect?”
Ethan drew a slow breath.
“My last name doesn’t mean anything to you, does it? What if I told you my father’s name was Andrew?” he asked quietly.
My father frowned.
“Andrew?”
“You knew him once,” Ethan continued. “He was a business partner of yours until you forced him out. Took everything he had. He went from owning a company to scrubbing floors. And that’s how I grew up.”
The shock spread through the room as my father’s face lost its color.
“That can’t be… that was years ago,” he stammered. “You’re his son?”
Ethan nodded.
“He never recovered. But he raised me to be better than bitterness. And here I am.”
My father looked away, his shoulders suddenly heavy.
Then, to my complete surprise, he dropped to his knees.
“Andrew… he was my friend. I was desperate. It was either him or me, and I had a family. I was doing what I thought I had to. I’m sorry.”
Silence lingered between us.
Finally, he looked at me with an expression I had never seen before.
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“Anna, I never meant for you to get tangled up in this. I thought I was doing the right thing, building a future for you.”
“A future you chose for me,” I replied quietly. “But I’m choosing my own now.”
Without another word, he turned and walked away, shoulders slumped as he disappeared down the stairs.
I watched him leave, feeling both sadness and relief.
Several days passed without hearing from him, and the silence felt lighter than I expected.
Then one evening someone knocked at the door.
It was my father.
He stood awkwardly outside, looking uncertain.
“Ethan,” he said softly, “I… owe you an apology. Not just for the past, but for now. For everything. I can’t undo what I did to your family, but I can do better for my daughter. I see that now.”
Ethan accepted his words with quiet grace.
