The Princess Stopped Begging for Love, But They Became Desperate to Give Her Everything Chapter 09

The Princess Stopped Begging for Love, But They Became Desperate to Give Her Everything Chapter 09

She told me Dad’s temper had gotten worse after leaving the hospital.

He often sat alone in his study for hours.

She told me Isabella had gotten married and moved out with Nico, leaving the house empty.

She complained that Isabella was ungrateful, that she only came home when she needed something from

the family and rarely bothered to visit even though Dad’s health was failing.

I mostly listened.

I rarely responded.

Mom kept saying she hoped I would come home sometime.

I always told her I was busy.

That was true.

The year I finished my doctorate, a major energy exploration project I had worked on achieved a significant

breakthrough.

As one of the core members of the team, I was recognized by a professional society in our field.

The news stayed mostly within industry circles.

Somehow, someone at Caruso Holdings saw it anyway.

Vince contacted me again.

This time, his congratulations sounded completely sincere.

There was even a faint note of respect in his voice that hadn’t been there the last time we spoke.

“Dr. Caruso, congratulations. Don Lorenzo saw the article. He’s very pleased…”

“Thank you.”

I ended the call politely.

A few minutes later, Mom called.

I had never heard her sound so excited or proud.

“Elena! We saw the article! Your father won’t say it out loud, but he’s read it several times. When can you

come home? We all miss you…”

Missed me?

Or did they miss the daughter who was no longer an embarrassment to the Caruso name?

The daughter whose accomplishments could finally make the Caruso name look good?

The thought made me almost smile.

I declined again, saying I was too busy with work.

Two years passed before I heard anything serious from home again.

This time, Isabella called me herself.

She sounded panicked and was already crying.

“Elena, please come home. Dad had a stroke. The doctors say it’s serious. He keeps saying your name…”

I stood silently with the phone pressed to my ear.

Dad hadn’t suffered a stroke this early in my previous life.

“Elena, I know Dad and Mom were wrong before. I was wrong too. But Dad is really sick. Please, just come see him. I’m begging you.”

Isabella broke down sobbing on the other end of the line.

I took time off and went back.

This time, I wasn’t returning because of some lingering fantasy about family.

I went because I wanted closure.

Dad looked years older than the last time I’d seen him.

He lay in a hospital bed with one side of his face slack, his speech badly impaired.

The moment he saw me, his dull eyes lit up.

He struggled to lift one hand, forcing out broken sounds as he tried to speak.

Mom stood beside him wiping tears from her face.

“Lorenzo, Elena’s here. Elena came back to see you.”

Isabella and her husband, Nico Russo, stood nearby.

The way they looked at me was difficult to read.

I walked to the bed and looked down at him without saying anything.

Using all the strength he had, he grabbed my wrist.

His grip was surprisingly tight.

“Elena… sorry… Dad was wrong…”

In my previous life, I had waited my entire life to hear those words.

Now that I finally had, I felt nothing.

It was too late.

“It’s in the past.”

I gently pulled my hand free.

“Focus on getting better.”

I stayed at the hospital for three days until Dad’s condition stabilized.

Throughout those days, Mom barely left my side.

She kept finding small excuses to take care of me.

Her eyes were filled with an almost desperate need to make up for the past.

Isabella spoke to me carefully too.

The subtle superiority she once carried around me was gone.

But I understood exactly what had changed.

I knew what had changed: I had become successful.

If I had remained ordinary like I had in my previous life, or worse, if I had become someone they considered a

stain on the family name, would they still be treating me this way?

I wasn’t naive enough to mistake regret for unconditional love.

Dad never fully recovered.

After leaving the hospital, he needed a wheelchair.

They wanted me to stay.

Dad even used his unsteady hand to sign an agreement transferring part of his stake in Caruso Holdings to

I refused it.

“I have my own career and my own life in Montana.”

My answer was firm.

“This isn’t my home.”