Sophie squeezed her eyes shut but didn’t lower her arms. “It was an accident… Please don’t hit Caleb. Hit me instead. He’s just a baby…”
“Shut up!” Vanessa snapped. “Your father isn’t here. I’m in charge.”
Jonathan felt something inside him shift—not explosive anger, but something colder. He pushed the door open.
“Vanessa.”
She froze. The spoon fell to the floor. She turned slowly, panic flashing across her face before she forced a brittle smile. “Jonathan! You’re home early!”
He didn’t look at her. He walked straight to Sophie. When he knelt, she flinched and raised her arms to protect her head.
That nearly broke him.
“Sophie,” he whispered. “It’s Daddy.”
She lowered her hands slowly. “Daddy?” she asked, as if afraid he wasn’t real.
“It’s me.”
She burst into sobs and threw herself at him. He held her tightly, lifting Caleb with his other arm. The smell of sour milk and baby tears filled the air.
“Jonathan, please,” Vanessa began quickly. “You’re misunderstanding. They were out of control. You’re never here. I have to discipline them.”
He stood, both children in his arms. “You call this discipline?”
“She bruised herself playing,” Vanessa lied. “I love them. I’m doing this for their own good.”
“It’s over,” he said quietly. “Get out.”
Her expression hardened. “You can’t just throw me out. We have a prenup. I’ll take half. I’ll say you’re an absent father. Who will they believe?”
Jonathan stepped closer. “Try it. But remember—I installed a full internal security system last month. Cameras and microphones. Every room. Everything you’ve done is recorded.”
The color drained from her face.
“You have ten minutes,” he continued. “If you’re still here, I call the police. Today I’m not a CEO. I’m a father.”
She didn’t argue. Within minutes, her car sped away into the storm.
The house fell silent again—but this time, it felt lighter.
Jonathan carried the children into the living room. He rocked Caleb until he fell asleep, then sat beside Sophie and took her hands.
“I’m sorry,” he said, tears finally falling. “I thought providing all this was enough. I was wrong.”
Sophie looked at him carefully. “She said if we told you, you wouldn’t come back.”
His chest tightened painfully. “That’s a lie. I will always come back.”
“Are you leaving again tomorrow?” she whispered.
He pulled out his phone and called his assistant.