Chapter 3

Eleanor knew what was holding me back and didn't push. She just said, "Why don't you meet my kids first? If it really doesn't work out, I won't force anything."

Her son, Darren Clarke, was the president of the Chambers Group. Her daughter, Stella Clarke, was the chief of a major hospital. After I'd saved Eleanor all those years ago, both of them had gone out of their way to thank me. But that was then, and this was different.

When I heard they were coming for dinner that afternoon, my nerves kicked in. But they turned out to be surprisingly easy to be around, and they'd even brought me gifts.

Stella said, "Our dad passed away when we were young. Mom was afraid that bringing a stepfather into the picture would make things hard for me and Darren, so she decided not to look.

"By the time we were grown, she just never found the right person, and it kept getting pushed off. When she called today and said she'd finally met someone and wanted us to come see, we were really happy."

Darren added, "Mr. Hayes, please don't feel any pressure about not having a pension. Money is the last thing this family needs. All that matters is that you and Mom enjoy yourselves every day."

The month that followed was easier than I ever expected.

Once the mandatory cooling-off period ended, I finalized the divorce with Christine and, under constant pressure and threats from Connor and Brooke, registered my marriage with Eleanor.

The two of them treated it like a mission accomplished. They rushed off to suck up to their new stepfather without even glancing in my direction.

Christine and Patrick had waited years for this, and they wanted the whole world to know. They threw a wedding and made a point of sending me an invitation. I missed my granddaughter and little grandson, so even though the thought of being around that family made my skin crawl, I went.

The second Patrick saw me, he spat on the floor. "2,000 dollars? That's all you brought? You've got some nerve sitting down at my table."

Whatever Patrick said was gospel to Connor and Brooke. Brooke came at me right away. "Dad, seriously. You're a grown man. How do you not know how this works?

"Even the chairwoman of the Chambers Group is coming today. A wedding this big, and you show up with 2,000 dollars? It should've been at least 20 thousand."

I was burning up inside. "You know exactly how much money I have."

Every cent I'd ever had went to her and Connor. When I left that house, I didn't even have 200 dollars on me.

"Then borrow it. Or don't come at all. Did you really have to show up just to embarrass me?" Connor grabbed my arm and started dragging me toward the door.

"Patrick's already upset. Just go."

His grip dug into my arm, but my jacket zipper had snagged on the tablecloth. "Connor, let go. I'll leave on my own."

Being thrown out like this was humiliating enough. I had no desire to stay.

But Connor only pulled harder. "Are you trying to make a scene? Are you seriously not going to move?"

He yanked me sideways. My foot caught on a chair leg, and I went down hard.

The crash was deafening. Plates and dishes came off the table and shattered across the floor. Most of the food landed on me, scalding hot. I gasped from the pain and couldn't get up, but Connor and Brooke just stood over me, telling me to get out.

Patrick stormed over. He slapped me across the face, then kicked me in the ribs, again and again. I tried to stand, but my own children shoved me back down.

At that moment, I stopped fighting. I stopped wanting anything at all. I just wanted it to be over. Patrick, still seething, grabbed a plate and smashed it over my head.

"You did this on purpose, didn't you, Dean? You knew the chairwoman was coming, and you pulled this stunt. A woman like that, and you think a washed-up old man like you would ever get within ten feet of her?

"I was nice enough to invite you, and this is how you repay me? Why don't you just die?"

The plate split the skin on my scalp. Blood ran down my face.

Patrick was winding up to kick me again when his son ran over. "Dad, Ms. Chambers just arrived."