Page 87 of The Beat of her Heart

Addie frowned and glanced at Giselle, then back at Sarah. “Me? I wasn’t expecting anyone.”

Giselle straightened, her expression shifting. “I’ll come with you.”

Addie gave a quick nod, squeezing Sophie’s hand one last time before stepping back. Together, they followed Sarah out of the room and down the quiet hallway.

When they turned the corner into the waiting area, Giselle’s steps faltered. Her parents stood by the door, looking every bit as formal and guarded as they had during their last visit.

Her mother’s gaze softened when she saw her, but her dad looked at her with an unreadable expression.

Addie glanced at Giselle, eyebrows raised in surprise. “Your parents?”

Giselle’s face hardened and her jaw clenched. “I don’t…I don’t think I want to do this right now.”

Her father, noticing her reaction, stepped forward, his expression gentle but determined. “Giselle, please. Just amoment. We came to apologize. To both of you.”

Giselle crossed her arms, her gaze wary. “You always have your way of knowing when things are going well for me, don’t you?”

“Giselle—” her mom began.

“Why can’t you just allow me to be happy?” Giselle said. “Did Josephine put you up to this?”

“No.”

“Then what?” Giselle said. “I work here. You could’ve waited until…I don’t know. Never?”

“Josephine had nothing to do with this,” her dad said. “We just needed to see you and tell you we’re sorry.”

“Here?”

“Where else?” her mom asked. “We practically hounded you into medical school. It’s only fitting that I apologize in a hospital.”

Addie reached over and touched Giselle’s arm, her hand warm and steady. “Let’s hear them out.”

Giselle looked down, exhaling slowly, and then she turned back to her parents, meeting their gazes with a mix of defiance and exhaustion.

Her mother stepped closer.

“We’ve been…unfair, Giselle. We’ve pushed you in ways we shouldn’t have. We’ve tried to control things that aren’t ours to control.”

Her father nodded, his eyes on Giselle. “We were so focused on shaping you into what we thought you should be that we ignored who you actually are, and we hurt you because of it.”

Giselle watched them, her arms still crossed, though her gaze had softened slightly. She didn’t respond, her expression guarded, waiting.

Her father took a breath, glancing at Addie, then back to Giselle. “I never wanted to put you through the same things my parents put me through. But somewhere along the way…I did.”

Giselle’s shoulders relaxed just slightly, though her expression remained unreadable. She glanced at Addie, who gave her a small nod.

“We hurt you,” her dad continued. “And we want to make it right. Not just for you, but for Adrienne. We owe you both an apology.”

Giselle’s gaze softened, though she kepther guard up. She glanced at Addie, who watched her with quiet encouragement in her eyes.“Adrienne,” Giselle’s mother said, “we owe you an apology for making things difficult. We pushed Giselle, and, by extension, pushed you away.”

Addie glanced at Giselle, then back at them, nodding. “Thank you for saying that.” She slipped her hand into Giselle’s, her grip gentle but strong.

Her dad looked at her. “Can you forgive us?”

Giselle hesitated, but then she nodded slowly, her lips parting in a faint smile. “Yes. But…I need you to understand that I’m done living up to your expectations. If you want to be in my life, then you’ll accept that.”

Her mom nodded, her face filled with relief. “We want you to be happy, Giselle. That’s all we’ve ever wanted.”

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