Chapter 4
Chelsea returned to the dinner party with a smile that arrived too late.
“Family drama,” she said lightly. “You know how older parents get.”
No one laughed.
The house remained full of the sound of Albert’s departure.
A suitcase wheel bumping against the porch edge.
The front gate latch clicking.
The faint rustle of the American flag outside.
One guest, a partner from Logan’s firm, glanced toward the doorway.
“Is your father all right?”
Chelsea lifted her chin.
“He’ll be fine. He’s very independent when he wants sympathy.”
Logan turned toward her.
“Chelsea.”
“What?”
His voice lowered.
“Don’t.”
She blinked, surprised.
That was how rarely he corrected her.
The dining room grew colder.
Chelsea stepped closer, smiling without warmth.
“You agreed he needed to leave.”
“I said maybe it was time.”
“Same thing.”
“No,” Logan said. “It wasn’t.”
Chelsea’s eyes flashed.
But she noticed the guests watching and swallowed the sharper response.
Albert had known she would perform composure for them.
That was why he did not argue inside.
A public fight would make him look bitter, old, dependent.
A quiet exit made the house itself seem guilty.
At the door, Logan could still see his father’s brown suitcase near the sidewalk.
Albert had set it down to adjust his grip.
The silver one remained in his right hand.
The leather document wallet was tucked under his arm.
Logan’s stomach turned.
“What did he mean by paperwork?” one guest asked carefully.
Chelsea answered too fast.
“Nothing.”
Logan looked at her.
“Do you know that?”
She opened her mouth.
Then closed it.
Because she did not.
None of them did.
Not really.
They only knew Albert had been convenient.
May you like
They had never asked how convenient became possible.
Read the full story 👉 Chelsea tried to turn Albert’s exit into embarrassment, but the guests began asking the question Logan feared.
