The name landed heavily. No one said anything at first.
Pierre.
Despite everything happening between us and our father, Phoenix had still chosen to honor him. We passed Oliver carefully between us. Tiny fingers curled around mine for a second, and something in my chest softened. Watching my brothers with the baby made everything feel bigger than the anger we were carrying toward Dad. Eventually Phoenix cleared his throat and the mood shifted.
“It doesn’t feel right,” he said quietly. “What’s happening with Dad.”
Becket’s jaw tightened. “You mean the part where he kept life-changing information from us for decades?”
Elyna sat forward slightly. “He was trying to protect you.”
Becket looked at her sharply. “From what?”
“From carrying the weight of it,” she replied. “I lost my mom because of Marcel Bellerose. I know what wanting justice feels like. I understand why Pierre made the choices he did.”
Harmony nodded slowly. “I put everything on the line to bring my father down,” she said. “I handed over evidence. Ibetrayed him to the police. And he still walked free because of a technicality.”
Silence settled over the room.
Eric rubbed the back of his neck. “I still think Dad should’ve told us something about Mom at some point.”
“He should’ve,” Becket added, though his tone had softened slightly.
Phoenix looked between us. “But think about when he could’ve told us. We were kids. Then teenagers. Then adults with our own problems.”
“The longer he waited, the harder it became,” I said quietly. Everyone looked at me.
I shrugged slightly. “He was there for us growing up. Every game. Every bad decision. Every time we needed someone.”
Elyna nodded. “He was there for me too.”
“And me,” Harmony added softly.
The room fell quiet again as everyone absorbed that.
Eric sighed. “I can understand it getting harder with time. Doesn’t mean it didn’t hurt.”
Becket exhaled slowly, tension leaving his shoulders just a little. “I’m still pissed,” he admitted. “But maybe… maybe it wasn’t as black and white as I thought.”
No one disagreed. The anger wasn’t gone, but something had shifted. We were starting to see the situation from more than one side. Later, while everyone else hovered near the baby, Phoenix and I ended up in the kitchen. He poured himself water and leaned against the counter.
“Claire talked to Elyna.”
I frowned slightly. “About what?”
“She’s worried about your fight.” That landed harder than expected.
I stared down at my hands. “Yeah.”
“You taking this one different?” he asked.
“It’s not that. The stakes are higher. There’s a big payout, but it comes with higher risks,” I explained.
“Is the money worth getting hurt?” he asked.
“We both know it isn’t,” I stated the obvious.
“Then walk away,” Phoenix said.