Chapter 6 - THE GRANDMOTHER WHO WANTED CONTROL
Eleanor Moretti found out three days later.
Of course she did.
Nothing happened in Adrian's world without someone reporting it.
She arrived at my apartment in a black car.
Two men stood beside the vehicle.
I opened the door.
And there she was.
Older.
Perfectly dressed.
Still wearing the expression of a woman who believed the world should apologize for inconveniencing her.
“Claire.”
I stared.
“Eleanor.”
Her eyes moved past me.
Toward the apartment.
“Where are the children?”
I stepped into the doorway.
“At school.”
She frowned.
“I understand they're Adrian's.”
I folded my arms.
“Yes.”
Her expression changed.
“Triplets.”
“Yes.”
She looked almost pleased.
Then she said:
“Well. At least you finally gave him heirs.”
Something inside me went cold.
Nine years.
And she hadn't changed.
I stepped backward.
“Goodbye, Eleanor.”
She placed a hand against the door.
“Don't be ridiculous. I have a right to see my grandchildren.”
I looked at her.
“You have no right to enter my home without an invitation.”
Her face hardened.
“You're still the same stubborn girl.”
I smiled sadly.
“And you're still the woman who threw me out.”
She looked away.
“That was a difficult time.”
“No.”
My voice sharpened.
“That was a choice.”
She opened her mouth.
I continued.
“You don't get to walk into my children's lives and treat them like prizes.”
Eleanor's eyes narrowed.
“Adrian will want them raised properly.”
I stared.
“They are being raised properly.”
She looked around the hallway.
“In this building?”
I felt the old humiliation rising.
Then I remembered Noah's courage.
Ethan's curiosity.
Leo's kindness.
And the hundreds of nights I had worked until my feet ached so those boys could sleep safely.
I straightened.
“Yes.”
Eleanor stared.
Then turned and walked away.
But as she reached the stairs, she looked back.
“This isn't finished.”
I closed the door.
May you like
My hands were shaking.
And for the first time in nine years, I was afraid of the Moretti family again.
