‘Ik maak me geen zorgen,’ antwoordde ik. ‘Ik ben precies op tijd.’
Voordat iemand kon reageren, ging de deurbel.
Rowans gezicht werd bleek. « Wie… wie is dat? »
Ethan stond op om te antwoorden, maar ik stak mijn hand op. « Ik heb ze uitgenodigd. »
Aan tafel werd het stil.
Seconds later, Ethan returned with Dr. Hail at his side, followed by Allison. Both looked delighted.
“Leighton,” Dr. Hail said warmly as he came forward. “I hope we aren’t too late. I just had to stop by and congratulate Rowan—and thank you again for setting that introduction in motion.”
Rowan’s fingers tightened around her napkin.
Allison stepped in next. “Truly, Leighton, your referral gave us a level of trust from the start that changed everything. Rowan’s team thrived because of that foundation.”
Sylvia straightened, eyes sharp. “I’m sorry—what introduction?”
I set the folder gently on the table. “The one that secured Rowan’s healthcare account,” I said. “The account being celebrated tonight.”
Rowan’s voice cracked. “Mom… why are you doing this?”
I held her gaze. “Because you asked me to hide. And for years, I tried. But I won’t disappear from my own daughter’s life.”
Dr. Hail gave her a sympathetic smile. “Your mother was the key connector, Rowan. We took the meeting because she vouched for you.”
Allison nodded. “Everyone in leadership knows that.”
Silence spread like a heavy cloth over the table. Sylvia looked shaken for the first time since I’d known her.
“Rowan,” she said slowly, “you never mentioned—”
Rowan’s breath hitched. “I… I wanted to succeed on my own.”
“You did succeed,” I said softly. “But you didn’t need to erase me to do it.”
I pulled out the chair—my chair, the one Rowan had reserved for Sylvia—and sat down. No one stopped me. No one dared.
I didn’t raise my voice. I didn’t accuse, didn’t punish. I simply placed the folder in the center of the table, a quiet ledger of truth.
“This dinner is about your accomplishment,” I told Rowan. “But it’s also about mine.”
Rowan stared at the papers, then at me—something breaking, something rebuilding. What remained between us after that moment would depend on what she chose next.
After the guests left—some quietly supportive, others stunned into awkward goodbyes—the house fell into a thick, echoing stillness. Rowan stood by the dining table, staring at the empty chairs like they might explain what had just unfolded.
“Mom,” she whispered, “why did you do that?”
