Chapter 29

Liana’s POV

I knew the moment I heard the knock—it was my father. My heart skipped, not because I was excited, but because I wasn’t ready. He said he wanted to talk about my future which was the reason why he was coming. I wasn’t ready. I didn’t think I was ready for such conversations.

Agnes opened the door before I could even get up from the couch. And there he was.

My father.

Standing tall in his signature charcoal grey suit, his expression tight, his eyes sharper than I remembered. He didn’t say a word. Not yet. Beside him stood Mother. Her smile was soft, but her eyes were just as worried.

“Liana,” my dad said as he stepped inside. “We need to talk.”

My chest tightened. I nodded, stepping back to let them in. They walked in like they’d done it a hundred times before, as if they still had that authority. Maybe they did. Maybe I just hadn’t shaken off the part of me that still wanted to be their daughter—the one who didn’t disappoint the