Edward hadn't even been awake an hour the next morning before the past came knocking again.
He was in my kitchen, shirtless, hair still wet from the shower, making coffee like he owned the place and honestly, I loved that he did. He looked relaxed, calm, almost happy.
Until his phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
His expression dropped.
His shoulders stiffened.
"Who is it?" I asked quietly.
He sighed.
"My father."
Of course.
Frank never accepted losing control not of me, not of Edward, not of anything. And after the scene yesterday… I knew this moment was coming.
"Answer," I said, standing beside him. "I'm right here."
He nodded and put the call on speaker.
The moment the line connected, Frank's voice blasted through the kitchen.
"Edward. My office. Now."
Edward didn't flinch. He sipped his coffee.
"No."
There was a pause one of those dangerous pauses where you could almost feel someone's blood pressure rising on the other end of the line.
"No?" Frank repeated. "Did you just refuse me?"
"Yes."
Edward leaned against the counter, completely unbothered.
"I'm not coming."
"Edward do not play games with me." Frank's voice sharpened. "This is about that woman."
I stiffened.
That woman.
Not even my name.
Edward's jaw clenched. "Say her name, Dad."
Frank scoffed. "I refuse to dignify this insanity. Get in your car and come to my office"
"I said no."
Silence again.
But this one wasn't shocked.
It was dangerous.
Then Frank laughed a slow, cruel, confident laugh.
"If you stay with her," he said calmly, "I will cut you off."
Edward froze.
Even my heart stumbled.
Frank continued, voice smooth and venomous:
"You won't get a cent of your trust fund. Your accounts will be frozen. The company position you were promised? Gone. The inheritance you're waiting for? Gone. I will erase your access to every privilege you've ever had. And when I'm done, you will have nothing."
My nails dug into my palms.
Edward's face didn't change not fear, not panic but the air around him shifted. Something cold. Something controlled.
"That's all?" he asked.
Frank's voice rose. "That's EVERYTHING!"
Edward shrugged. "Then take it."
Frank stopped breathing. I could hear it.
"Edward," he said slowly. "Do you understand what you're saying?"
Edward placed his coffee cup down, his voice calm, steady, terrifyingly sure.
"I do. I don't want anything from you. Not your money. Not your name. Not your approval. If choosing Leah means I lose everything fine."
My breath caught.
Edward continued:
"I'd rather be broke with her than rich with you."
Frank's fury exploded.
"Have you lost your mind?! She's manipulating you! Using you! That woman"
"That woman," Edward snapped, "is the only person who's ever loved me without conditions."
Frank went silent.
"I'm warning you," he said after a moment. "Walk away now, or you will regret it for the rest of your life."
Edward smiled a cold, beautiful, dangerous smile I rarely saw.
"I don't take warnings from cowards."
Frank inhaled sharply. "This is your last chance."
"Goodbye, Dad."
Edward hung up.
He didn't move for a few seconds.
Just stood there.
Breathing lightly.
Calm.
I stepped closer, touching his arm. "Edward…"
He lifted his eyes to me steady, unshaken, impossibly gentle.
"I'm okay," he said softly. "I knew this was coming."
"But he'll really cut you off," I whispered. "Your entire future you worked so hard"
"It's just money, Leah."
"It's your life."
"No."
He cupped my face.
"You are."
My eyes stung instantly, stupidly. "You didn't have to give everything up"
"Yes, I did."
He pressed his forehead against mine.
"Because if a man is willing to destroy his own son's life just to keep control… then he never deserved to be in mine."
My throat tightened.
He brushed his thumb across my cheek.
"You're worth every sacrifice."
I bit back the tears, but they still slipped out. "Edward…"
"If he wants a war," he said, voice low, "he'll get one. But I'm not leaving you."
I swallowed. "What if he tries something worse?"
Edward smirked.
"Then he'll learn I don't scare easily."
The rest of the morning passed in a haze.
Edward showered, dressed for work, and kissed me goodbye with a softness that felt like a promise.
But he didn't even get ten minutes down the road.
Because someone banged on my front door so loudly I almost dropped the mug I was holding.
I opened it.
Frank.
Soaked from the rain.
Face contorted with rage.
Eyes bloodshot.
"Where is he?" Frank demanded.
"He left for work," I said sharply. "You can call him."
"I DID," he roared. "He ignored me."
"Good," I shot back. "You deserve it."
Frank took a threatening step forward. "Leah, if you don't end this right now you will ruin his entire life."
I stepped closer, meeting him eye-to-eye for the first time in years.
"No, Frank. You already did that. Every time you controlled him. Every time you forced your expectations on him. Every time you treated him like an extension of yourself instead of a son."
His jaw twitched.
"You're choosing to destroy him," he hissed.
"He chose me," I said evenly. "And unlike you, I won't manipulate him, use him, or treat him like property."
His face reddened with fury.
"You think he'll survive without my support? He grew up in wealth. Comfort. Your life is NOTHING compared to what he's used to."
That cut deep but not for me.
For him.
Because that's who Frank was.
A man who believed love was measured in money.
I breathed out and lifted my chin.
"He'll survive without you," I said.
"But you won't survive without control."
Frank froze.
His eyes filled with something dark.
Not sadness.
Not guilt.
Fear.
He was losing.
For the first time in his life.
He stepped back slowly.
"This isn't over," he whispered.
"You're destroying everything."
"No, Frank," I said.
"You did that yourself."
He didn't reply.
He just turned… and walked away.
Edward returned home late, exhausted but triumphant.
"He confronted you," he guessed immediately when he saw my face.
"He tried," I said.
Edward walked straight to me, pulled me against his chest, and held me like he never wanted to let go.
"I'm done letting him run my life," he whispered.
"You're my future now."
I leaned into him.
"Even if he takes everything?"
He kissed my forehead.
"My father's wealth built his world.
You build mine."
I closed my eyes, absorbing every word, every heartbeat.
He held my face in his hands, looked directly into my eyes, and said:
"I won't let him interfere again. Not with us. Not with my life. Not ever."
And as I wrapped my arms around him, I believed him.
Because for the first time…
Edward wasn't choosing between me and his father.
He finally chose himself.
And he chose me with him.