He Won The Case, He Lost His Family Chapter 02

He Won The Case, He Lost His Family Chapter 02

After I coaxed Tessa to sleep, I called every civil attorney in the county. The moment I mentioned Graham’s name, each one declined.

I was staring at another unanswered email when his voice came from behind me.

“Stop wasting your time, Laurel. You couldn’t win this case.”

I spun around. “Why are you here?”

“To see Tessa.” His tone was as controlled as ever.

“She’s still my daughter. I bear some responsibility for what happened to her.”

The phrasing made her sound like a professional obligation, but I remembered how desperately she had wanted him to visit.

After a moment’s hesitation, I stepped aside.

Tessa brightened as soon as Graham entered. She tucked her injured hand behind her back and forced a dazzling smile through the pain.

“Dad, you came.”

He gave her no answer. Instead, he opened his leather briefcase.

Tessa spotted a velvet jewelry box inside. Her face lit up, and she reached for it.

“You really bought the necklace!”

Graham had promised her a limited-edition diamond pendant if she earned a place in Hartwell University’s pre-law program, the same school where he had begun his legal career.

She had held on to that promise through years of late-night studying.

Before her fingers touched the box, he frowned and slapped her hand away.

“That wasn’t for you.”

He removed a compact video camera and set it on the rolling tray beside her bed.

“Tessa Mercer, I need serious answers to the questions I’m about to ask. This recording could be submitted to the court.”

Her smile faded, though she still nodded obediently.

“Why did you stage that fall and blame Derek?” he asked.

“Did your mother put you up to it because she was jealous of Sienna?”

Tessa’s expression froze. Her eyes filled at once.

She shook her head in panic. “I didn’t.

“Dad, please believe me. I would never do that.”

Graham remained unmoved.

“You’re eighteen, Tessa. I won’t shield you from the consequences of a crime just because you’re my daughter.”

“If you keep lying, I’ll personally make sure you pay for it.”

“Enough!”

Her breathing had turned ragged, and I rushed between them before she broke completely.

“She was your daughter,” I shouted. “It was bad enough that you refused to believe her.

“How could you stand here and interrogate her for someone else’s child?”

Graham switched off the camera. His expression held no warmth and no regret.

“I was doing my job. A responsible attorney doesn’t excuse a perpetrator or condemn an innocent person merely because it’s convenient.”

The word perpetrator drained the last trace of color from Tessa’s face.

She had idolized Graham since childhood. Her greatest dream was to attend his alma mater, complete law school, and someday join him in court.

He knew that character and integrity mattered to that dream. Still, he had casually labeled his own daughter a criminal.

Pain split through my chest. I wrapped my arms around Tessa and pointed to the door.

“Get out.”

Graham rose without another word and slammed the door behind him.

That night, Sienna sent me a text.

Sienna: [Thank you for sending Graham back to me. Again.]

The attached photo showed a bright, immaculate living room. Graham sat on Sienna’s couch in a robe, watching television with her and Derek.

Around Sienna’s neck glittered the diamond pendant Tessa had dreamed about for years.

Graham was smiling in a way I had never seen at home. The three of them looked more like a family than we ever had.

I wiped my face and turned toward my daughter, who had not moved since he left.

“Would you come live with me after this?” I asked.

“I’ll find a way to win, and then I’ll take you somewhere better.”

“We could leave all of this behind together.”

Tessa looked down at the fresh bandages on her hand, then at my swollen eyes. After a long silence, she nodded.