Chapter 80 Steps Into The Unknown

• Rachel POV
• The air in my bedroom felt heavy, saturated with the weight of Scarlett’s revelations, her words still echoing like a haunting refrain. Her tear-streaked face, the tremble in her voice as she recounted the betrayal that had shattered her life, clung to me, a visceral reminder of the pain Cody had caused. Yet, beneath the ache of her story, a stubborn resolve burned within me—a need to know him, to see for myself who my biological father was, unfiltered by the scars of the past.
• I sat on the edge of my chair, the leather creaking softly, my hands clasped tightly in my lap as I searched for the words to bridge the chasm between my mother’s fear and my own yearning. “Mom,” I began, my voice steady but soft, as if I could cushion the blow of what I was about to say. “I understand why you’re scared. I do. What Cody did to you… it’s awful, and I’m so sorry you went through that.” I paused, swallowing the lump in my throat, the image of Scarlett facing a merciless media, separated from my siblings, searing my mind. “But I still need to know him. He’s my father, biologically, and I can’t just… ignore that. I need to form my own perspective, to understand who he is for myself. I’ll be careful, I promise, but I can’t walk away without trying.”