Downstairs, Jake was sprawled on the couch, a half-finished plate of food resting on his chest.
"So… let's talk, Dad," he said, eyes flicking up to David.
David looked away from the TV, mildly surprised.
"Talk?"
Jake nodded, hesitating.
"We haven't really talked much… not since Mom. And that's on me. I've been—"
David cut him off gently.
"It's okay, son. You don't have to apologize."
He paused, eyes distant.
"If anyone should be sorry, it's me. I should've done more… Maybe she'd still be here if I had."
A brief silence fell between them.
Jake cleared his throat, forcing a small smile.
"Well, on the bright side… we've got Sarah now."
"Yeah, she's amazing… but weird," David said with a chuckle. "And honestly, that's what I love most about her. I'm glad you two get along."
"She's actually really amazing… and weird," Jake laughed.
"You never told me how you two met."
David smiled and leaned back into the couch, eyes distant.
"It's a funny story, actually… kinda felt like she found me, not the other way around." "Remember when I took a business trip to Tennessee?"
Jake nodded, still chewing. "Yeah, you went to the Bahamas after that—it was my final year in college."
David nodded slowly. "Right… well, during that trip, I went rock climbing."
He paused, eyes drifting to the window as if the memory was playing out in front of him.
"And that's when I saw her—drifting down a stream. Unconscious. Bleeding."
Jake blinked. "Wait, drifting? Like she washed up from somewhere?"
David chuckled softly. "Exactly. It was like the current brought her straight to me."
He leaned forward, resting his arms on his knees. "No ID, no phone, nothing. Just this strange energy about her… like fate dropped her there on purpose."
"I pulled her out as fast as I could," David continued. "Did that chest-compression thing—CPR, yeah."
He gave a small laugh. "Felt like I was in a movie or something. I was panicking, man. But after a few seconds, she gasped back to life."
He paused, smiling faintly. "First thing she did? Punched me in the face."
Jake burst into laughter. "Are you serious?"
David chuckled, rubbing his jaw at the memory. "Yeah. She packs one hell of a punch—for someone half-drowned and bleeding. My nose wouldn't stop bleeding no matter what."
Jake wheezed between laughs. "Damn—while half-dead? I didn't take her for the strong type."
David grinned, shaking his head. "Oh, she is. She almost got into a fight with a security guard back in the Bahamas."
Jake leaned back, laughing even harder. "What the heck? Why?"
David shrugged, still smiling.
"He wouldn't let her into the penthouse—she didn't have her key card."
He chuckled. "And she goes, 'I don'tneed a damn key card to get through a door.' Just like that."
Jake raised a brow, grinning. "No way."
"I heard the yelling from the hallway and rushed out… and there she was—already squared up, ready to throw hands."
David leaned back, a soft, haunted smile lingering.
"She's fierce, no doubt. But beneath all that fire… there's something she's hiding. She's like Catherine all over again."
Jake swallowed, the weight of his father's words settling in.
"Hiding something, huh? What do you think it is?"
David shook his head slowly.
"I don't know, Jake. She never shares her problems with me—always says everything's fine, even when it's clear she's struggling. I barely even know her past. She's just like your mom… and I'm scared she'll leave too."
"Dad, I'll make sure that doesn't happen. And even if it does… we'll always have each other," Jake said, standing up with quiet determination.
David also stood up, their eyes meeting in a heartfelt moment.
"Hug?" David asked tentatively.
"C'mon, Dad, you know I'm not a hugger," Jake replied with a grin.
David's smile faltered.
"Oh, right… forgot about that."
Jake smirked.
"Just this once, old man."
With that, he pulled David into a brief, but genuine hug.
The room fell quiet, the calm before the storm.