After Seven Empty Chairs, I Took My Daughter and Left Chapter 10

After Seven Empty Chairs, I Took My Daughter and Left Chapter 10

The warm, bright spotlight fell on Sloane, draping her in a holy light. A soft breeze stirred her carefully styled curls.

She gazed into Noah’s eyes, her own full of deep emotion. Her voice traveled through the microphone and across the entire ballroom, carrying a theatrical tremor.

“For all these years, Noah, you have been like the lighthouse in Boston Harbor. No matter how far I drifted, your light always guided me home. You stayed with me quietly and protected me in silence. I once took it for granted, but now, in this moment, I finally understand that this was the harbor you built for me with your whole heart.”

Noah’s mind went blank. A buzzing replaced the classical music in the background. He felt as if he had been pulled out of his body, suspended in midair, watching this absurd one-woman show unfold.

Sloane had already walked toward him with the microphone. The spotlight followed her, trapping them both in a glaring circle of light. She gently took his hand and continued in that aria-like voice.

“I have walked through every corner of Europe, but only in your gaze did I find the most beautiful view. I have heard countless sweet promises, but only in your care did I feel the warmest strength.”

Her voice suddenly rose, full of announcement.

“From today on, I don’t want you to silently follow behind me anymore. Ava has divorced you, Noah. Now I want to walk beside you through every season. This is my gift to your father, and also my surprise for you. Be with me.”

Noah stood frozen in place, unmoving. He could feel the sharp gaze of his father burning through his back.

“Noah?” Seeing his dazed expression, Sloane thought he was overcome with happiness. She called his name softly, her eyes carrying a trace of urging.

Noah’s throat tightened. He was full of questions. Divorce? The box Ava had handed him? What exactly was going on? But facing the Whitaker family’s longtime friends and Wall Street business partners, he couldn’t ask a single one.

He could only stabilize the situation first.

Noah took a deep breath and forced a smile that looked surprised and touched.

“Sloane, thank you… Thank you for preparing all of this for me. I’m very moved.”

Although he didn’t give a clear answer, everyone present had already accepted the script of the story. Noah’s devotion to Sloane over the years was known to all of Boston society. Now he was finally single again, and she had confessed publicly at such a grand family banquet. This was undoubtedly a belated coronation.

“I knew you would like it.” Having received the reaction she wanted, Sloane smiled brilliantly. She naturally linked her arm through Noah’s and pulled him through the crowd like a hostess, accepting everyone’s blessings.

The bright smile on her face and the stiff curve of Noah’s mouth made them a perfect caricature of a couple.

The guests immediately gathered around, warm congratulations rising one after another, champagne glasses clinking crisply.

“Congratulations, Noah! You finally got the girl!” a banker laughed, clapping him on the shoulder.

“I always said you two were the ones who should be together. Congratulations, man. True love wins in the end!”

“Sloane really put her heart into this. The Whitaker family has finally welcomed its true mistress.”

“Congratulations, Noah. You’re finally with your true love.”

Each “blessing” was like a nail, pinning Noah to the cross of this farce he had built with his own hands. With Sloane on his arm and the crowd surrounding him, he kept a proper smile on his face, but inside, he was a cold ruin.

The deep navy document box he had casually thrown onto the passenger seat suddenly seemed to weigh a thousand pounds.