Page 43 of One Night With My Grumpy Professor Daddy

“It was just the way it was.” The bitterness in his voice is palpable. “Both of us were unhappy, but it was beyond us. Our families arranged it years before. I tried to make it work, but at the time, I was young, stupid and didn’t have the balls to buck against him. There was too much at stake, business-wise, and if I were to be completely honest, my greed is what kept me in it. Marrying the two families ensured our billionaire status as a couple. But it never felt right. We waited twelve years before we finally had Zoe. I thought it would make her happy. But instead, Sarah was even more troubled. I thought it was the kind that comes after having a baby. I didn’t know there was more to it. She was going through so much, and I had no idea.”

I finally turn around to look at his eyes. He holds me, our bodies pressing into each other, and keeps speaking.

“I couldn’t get out of my head enough to notice until she was too far gone. I found out later she’d been struggling and managing depression for years, but after Zoe, she relapsed, and psychosis took over— she was never the same. They said it was related to the hormonal fluctuations, and I guess it was just all too much – never feeling understood, A miserable marriage, and having a baby to care for. She kept it all from me, so I didn’t know it was as bad as it was till it was too late.”

He lets out a deep sigh. It’s obvious this part of his life weighs heavily on him.

I slide my hand across his chest, rubbing the pain from his heart.

“Years went by,” he swallows. “But she needed more than therapy, and neither family would agree to the necessary inpatient treatment out of… fucking embarrassment.” He closes his eyes and takes in a deep breath, exhaling his frustration over me.

“So, my father contacted his family physician friend in an attempt to keep it all hidden from the public. The Doctor prescribed her a medication, and Sarah had a fatal reaction to it.

Tears well up, and my mouth falls open, “Oh my God, no, I’m so sorry.”

“After she ...after she was gone, I had to relearn how to parent, being both Mom and Dad to our baby girl. That’s why I stepped away from working in my practice and started at the university, so I could raise my daughter myself with as little help as possible. I guess it was my way of repenting for not doing everything I could to save her.

And I just couldn’t keep working like my father. It was like I was becoming more and more like him every day, and it disgusted me.”

“Drake.” I shake my head.

“I’ve been trying to escape from the past for so long, and wonder if things would have been different if—“

I cup his face with both hands, staring into his stormy gray eyes, hoping to bring him out of his head. I know how it feels to feel responsible for something life-changing, but nothing compares to something as heavy as this.

“Drake, you’re not the same man you were all those years ago. I know it, and I’m sure you know it too.” He lets out a deep breath.

“To be honest, I don’t know about that. I feel like I was just going through the motions until you fell into my life.”

My body warms from his words, but I don’t say anything, and he doesn’t expect me to. He places a kiss on my forehead, pulling me in tighter.

I take a deep breath, thinking about the weight he’s been carrying, shocked by how he opened up, baring it at all. Closing my eyes, I bask in the feeling of being held and supported, and As I lay there content, an indescribable peace washes over me. I don’t notice drifting back to sleep.

The distant clinking of pots and pans seeps into my consciousness, tugging me gently from my dreams.

I blink my eyes open slowly, adjusting to the soft light filtering through the windows.

The delicious aroma of food wafting through the air becomes more distinct. I sit up, stretching lazily—swing my legs over the edge of the bed and pad my way down the hall.

Drakes in the kitchen, looking sexy as ever, messed-up hair, in a white tank top and sweats, expertly navigating the space like a seasoned chef. My heart skips as I stare at his chest trailing to his rippled abs… my god. My body flushes again as I try not to notice the way his bulge bounces freely in his sweats.

“Hey, Sleeping Beauty, you’re up,” he greets, flashing a warm smile as he flips a pancake.

“And you’re making breakfast.”

“More like brunch.” He chuckles before coming over to kiss me. I melt into his essence.

“Brunch?”

“It’s 1:00 pm. Zoe’s off at school. You see, you didn’t need to sneak out.” He winks, and I can’t help but crack a smile. “Mmm...smells delish.”

He leads me to a chair on the island, and I settle in, shaking my head in disbelief. “I don’t usually sleep this late. I’m not sure what happened.”

“Well, You’ve never been late for class, so that’s enough testimony for me.”

“Really.” I chide.

“What… I’m just saying.”

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