Meryl's POV
The words hung in the air like poison between us all.
"I'll take care of her," Andre said again, his voice steady despite everything. "Meryl is my responsibility now. She and Gavin are my family. I'll do what's right by her. I'll love her the way she deserves. I'll protect her. And I'm never walking away again."
Dad's laugh was bitter and sharp. It cut through me like glass.
"Do what's right by her? Are you listening to yourself right now? You're married, Andre. You have a wife. You're standing in my house telling me you'll protect my daughter? Protect her from what exactly? From you?"
"I'm filing for divorce from Adelaide," Andre replied without hesitation. His voice was quiet but firm.
"That doesn't change anything!" Dad's voice cracked like a whip. "It doesn't erase what you did! It doesn't make it okay that you were engaged when you put your hands on her! It doesn't change the fact that you're her stepbrother and I'm married to your mother!"
