Swapping a Broken Heart for a New Start novel Chapter 885

Nathan Gates’s heart skipped a beat. Anyone else might not have known, but he was keenly aware that the little one had two different names for her fathers. ‘Daddy’ was Dennis Williams, while her biological father… was someone else. For her to say, in front of her real father, that she wanted her mother to be with another man—he couldn’t even imagine the look on Jordan Smith's face. Nathan instinctively glanced at his boss. Sure enough, his face had turned thunderous, his brow heavy with repressed displeasure. The instructor, oblivious to the underlying tension, praised Lillian. “What a sweet little girl you are. I bet your mommy and daddy are very much in love, aren't they?” Lillian smiled but didn’t deny it. The instructor didn’t think much of it and picked up the finished cups. “Alright, I’ll take these to be fired in the kiln now. The process takes a few hours. Would you like to wait here, or schedule a time to come back and pick them up?” Lillian checked the time and realized it was already time to go home. Instead of answering right away, she looked at Jordan Smith. Jordan was still simmering over her earlier comment, and his tone was predictably sour. “We’ll schedule a time,” he clipped. “Okay.” The instructor, sensing nothing amiss, said, “Please come with me to register your information.” “Nathan, you go,” Jordan ordered. “Yes, sir,” Nathan replied, immediately following the instructor downstairs. Once they were gone, only the father and daughter remained in the classroom. Jordan looked at Lillian, his expression serious. “Those cups weren’t for me, were they?” Lillian pursed her lips and looked at him for a long moment before nodding. “No. They’re for Daddy.” The title seemed to hit a nerve. His eyes narrowed, and his voice turned cold. “Lillian, I am your father. Your mother and I had a misunderstanding, and we are only temporarily separated. We will get back together and give you a complete family. You have only one father, and that is me. No one else. I want you to remember that your mother can only remarry me!” Lillian didn’t like his tone, but unlike in the past, she didn’t feel scared or want to retreat. She listened to his words without agreement. “But…” she said in her small, soft voice, “Mommy loves Daddy. She doesn’t love you. She already divorced you, and she doesn’t want to get back together.” It was the truth, but it was a truth Jordan Smith refused to accept. His face tensed with anger, his voice growing even colder. “Of course she loves me. She used to love me more than anyone! She gave up everything to be with me, even her career. If she hadn't, you wouldn't even exist! She's just angry with me right now. She needs to be coaxed, and I will coax her back very soon!” Lillian lowered her gaze. “It’s too late for that,” she murmured. “You didn’t want us. You never saw Mommy when she was sad and hurt. You thought I wasn’t smart or healthy, and Grandma Smith thought I was an embarrassment. You wanted to marry that bad woman and let her bad child call you daddy. You only believed them, not us!”