Page 54 of A Castle in the Sky: Fern & Connor
He stared at her with alarm. "He what?"
"He knocked on the door while I was making tea for Papa," she went on, ignoring his tone. "He looked like he hadn't slept in a week. He apologised for everything—for the lies, for enabling Matilda, for letting you shoulder something that was never yours to carry. His words, not mine."
Connor sank down onto the bed, because his knees suddenly felt unreliable. "And you just... let him in?"
"He stayed on the porch," she said, shooting him a look that could have skinned him where he stood. "Papa was in the hall. I'm not stupid."
That, at least, was a small mercy.
"He's been granted custody of Jacob," she said. "Interim, until the final hearing. Social services are happy with his plan. He's moving back into his parents' old house, away from Matilda."
Connor blinked. Relief unfurled in his chest, braided with a resolve that he was going to prove himself to his wife and daughter.
"Good," he managed. "That's... that's good for Jacob."
"I told him I wasn't dropping the charges." Her chin lifted, eyes daring him to argue. "Against Matilda. Or against your mother, if it comes to that."
He flinched again, but he didn't look away. "I don't expect you to," he said quietly, acknowledging that she didn't trust him. "Neither did he, I'm guessing."
She shook her head. "He said he didn't. He said he'd testify if needed. He asked about the DNA results, and I told him." Her arms tightened around herself, like she was cold.
"I'm glad he stepped up for Jacob," Connor said, because anything else felt like a betrayal of his own child, who got hurt due to him. "He should've done it years ago, but... better late than never."
She blew out a breath, some of the steel leaving her shoulders. "I'm not going to stop you from caring about Jacob," she said. "I wouldn't do that to you or to him. But from now on, you caring about him can't come at the cost of our safety or our sanity. If you want to have a relationship with him, it's going to be on clear terms. Through Sawyer and through proper channels, not whenever Matilda snaps her fingers. Not that she will have any say in his upbringing if I can help it."
He nodded slowly. "I know you think being with Jacob is a priority for me, but it is not."
"I don't believe you, but if I ever feel you are short-changing Coral, you will see a side of me you have never seen before," she threatened in the softest tone that sent shivers down his spine. "So, today we will go to the police. We find out about this new web Matilda is weaving. We make it very clear that we will co-operate fully."
She took a step closer, eyes fierce. "And then, if your darling ex decides to try to spin another story, we make sure she's doing it from a place where there are witnesses and CCTV. You go no contact with her, or we go no contact with you. Comprendé?"
Connor's mouth was dry. "You still want to see her?"
"I want to hear from her mouth what she thought she was doing," Fern said. "I want to look her in the eye and tell her she's never getting near my family again. If the police say it's better that we don't see her today, fine. I'll follow their advice. But if they ask me if I'm willing to face her, then the answer is yes."
He stared at her. She was trembling with anger, but her gaze didn't waver. Fear and fury, wrapped up in one small, stubborn woman.
"Okay," he said again, because there wasn't anything else. "We'll do it your way. I will tell them everything I know."
Her mouth flattened. "Including the bit where you didn't insist on a test four years ago? Where you let her hold Jacob over your head and over mine?"
The shame burned. "Yes," he said. "Including that."
"Good." She nodded once, decisive. "Then finish your coffee, or whatever you need to be vaguely functional, and we'll go when Papa's ready."
She moved toward the door, hand already on the handle. He stopped her with her name.
"Fern."
She didn't turn around fully, just glanced back over her shoulder.
"For what it's worth," he said hoarsely, "I am going to sell this house. Then I am going to follow you to the ends of the earth if I need to. I will do whatever it takes to win you back."
Something flickered across her face—a pain so blinding, he wanted to look away. It was a reflection of his own. He knew she thought he wouldn't see it through. But she didn't understand that the thought of them being away from him made him feel like someone was shredding his heart.
"Right now," she said softly, "the only thing I need you to win back is your spine. If you manage that, then we'll see about the rest."
She left him standing there among the half-packed boxes, his heart balanced somewhere between hope and the knowledge that hope might be more than he deserved.
