It felt as if invisible ropes were tightening around Selene’s throat, squeezing the breath from her lungs.
Theodore stood there in a navy blue cotton lounge set, his frame gaunt, his hair completely white, and his back slightly hunched.
Selene parted her lips, instinctively wanting to greet him with “Professor, but the word caught in her throat–she no longer had the right.
She wasn’t worthy.
Her vision blurred in an instant.
“Hi, Grandpa!”
Daph’s childish voice rang out, bright and clear, as comforting as spring rain. “Are you the Grandpa Theodore Mommy always talks about–the brilliant scholar, the inspiring teacher, the legendary mathematician?”
Theodore stared at Daph, her round cheeks and sparkling eyes impossible to ignore. The stern mask he wore nearly slipped.
“She’s your daughter?”
Selene nodded quickly. “Yes, my daughter, Daph.”
Someone nearby piped up, barely able to contain their excitement, “Professor Shaw, she solved the problem you set!”
Theodore looked startled for a moment, then turned and walked toward the side
room. Selene noticed that his steps were steady and sure–not at all frail, as Adrian had implied.
At the whiteboard, Theodore paused, studying the formula Selene had written. His thin shoulders trembled slightly.
“You remembered everything I taught you.”
The more she remembered, the sadder Theodore became. He found it even harder to forgive this foolish girl who had thrown away such a promising future.
Selene looked at the whiteboard. “I thought I’d forgotten everything I learned at university. But the moment I stood here, all those formulas came back to me.”
“She really was Professor Shaw’s student?” a few young men whispered nearby, exchanging glances.
09-23
“She wasn’t!” Theodore snapped, stubbornly refusing to acknowledge her.
He had made Selene swear, on the day she walked away from her doctoral studies, that if anyone ever asked who her mentor was, she’d never speak his name.
She’d left with nothing but her bachelor’s degree. The bond between teacher and student had been severed completely.
The students fell silent. Theodore fixed Selene with a cold stare. His voice dropped. “Come in. We need to talk.”
He hated having these conversations in front of students–he considered it undignified.
Selene followed Theodore into the sitting room. He’d barely settled into his chair before asking, “I heard you divorced that man from the Vaughn family.”
Selene lowered her eyes. “Yes, I’ve left the Vaughns.”
“What are your plans now?”
“I’m looking for work,” Selene admitted quietly, revealing the truth she’d been trying to hide. “But I only have a bachelor’s degree, and I spent years as a housewife…”
There was a time when Theodore had such high hopes for her, only to be bitterly disappointed. All his other students were stars, certified as young leaders, celebrated as outstanding contributors to society.
Only Selene–his most promising disciple–had thrown it all away, chasing some fairy–tale romance, leaving the workforce for five years. Now she was a divorced mother, struggling to find even a basic job.
Theodore let out a disdainful snort. “Well, you brought this on yourself.”
Selene nodded. “I know. I did this to myself.”
She forced a smile. “But I came today because I have a favor to ask.”
Theodore’s expression hardened instantly. How dare she come to him for help?
“I have a few patents left to my name. I’m hoping to sell them for a decent price.”
She knew there were buyers out there, but as a mere housewife, she had no leverage to negotiate. Only by borrowing Theodore’s name would her patents
attract real attention.
Theodore scoffed. “I’m not going to help you sell your patents.”
Selene lowered her gaze. She’d expected as much.
00.33
Chapter 36
He had his pride, his principles. He would never stoop for money.
“Dad, what are you doing out here? Let me help you to bed.”
A deep, magnetic voice cut through the tension. Theodore’s brow twitched in surprise, the confusion just appearing on his face as he saw his son approaching–looking fresh and vital.
Adrian strode past Selene without so much as a glance her way.
Selene noticed the back of his shirt–damp at the waist and shoulders.
The thin, white T–shirt clung to his skin, outlining the healthy pink of his back beneath the fabric.
Chapter 3/
