In that instant, everything fell into place. I understood why he had left us all those years ago, why he had vanished without a word.
He was chasing his dream.
To him, my mother and I had been nothing more than burdens.
“He changed his name, didn’t he? Is that why there’s been no word of him here?”
Cyrus nodded.
When I heard his new name, a bitter laugh bubbled up inside me. How ironic it
Because of Imogen, the famous teacher she went abroad to study with was he.
And yet, his own daughter didn’t even know who he was, and was being falsely accused of plagiarism by one of his students.
Cyrus gently pried my hands off the cup, his fingers brushing over the red marks I had left from gripping it too tightly.
He sighed a deep, quiet sound.
“He thought you were doing well with the Whitmore family, so he never wanted to disturb you.”
“It wasn’t until you applied to the school, until I got your call, that he finally decided to reach out.”
“Giselle, I’ll take care of you from now on.”
I looked up at Cyrus, the sincerity in his words hitting me like a storm.
He was serious.
He had been entrusted by my father to find me.