Chapter 113: Room for second thought

When Selen got back home, she immediately went to her secure study to lock away the retrieved journals.

The emotional exhaustion of the morning was finally catching up with her, and she needed to speak to the one person who truly understood the entire layout of her past- JK.

She pulled out her cell phone and dialed JK’s number, knowing he would answer her instantly. She sank into her office chair, staring at the locked drawer where her history was now safe.

“I went to the Avelino mansion”, Selen said quietly the moment JK picked up, sitting up from the chair. “I went to get my things. Clancy had moved them directly into his private bedroom, so I had to clear them out” she said.

“And? Did you run into him?” JK asked over the line, his voice full of immediate concern.

“No, Clancy was not there. He’s still in Spain”, Selen replied, rubbing her temples as she leaned forward.

“But his parents were. As soon as I arrived, Rose went on her knees right there in the foyer and begged. Even when I was leaving she sobbed and begged for my forgiveness. Jimmy apologized too, bowing his head completely. They both looked entirely broken, JK.

I gave them my forgiveness, strictly for my own peace and for the kids, but then they started begging to see Diana, David, and Daniel. They pleaded to be grandparents” she said.

JK stayed quiet on the other end for a long moment, letting her words settle before he responded. “How does that make you feel?” he asked softly.

Selen leaned her head back against her chair, staring up at the ceiling as a heavy sigh escaped her lips. “It made me start thinking”, she admitted, her voice dropping into a vulnerable whisper.

“I am sitting here wondering if I am depriving my kids of their grandparents’ love. I spent years building this ironclad wall around my family to protect them from the Avelinos, but what if I am being too rigid now?” she wondered out loud.

“You have every right to protect your children after what those people put you through, Selen”, JK reminded her gently.

“I know, but look at what happened with Clancy”, Selen countered, her eyes wide with internal conflict as she stared at the wall.

“I did not want Clancy in their lives at all. I fought against it, I feared it, and I did everything to keep him away from them. But despite everything I did, the kids ended up loving him anyway.

They genuinely love their father, JK. What if it is exactly the same for his parents? What if Rose and Jimmy genuinely regret their past and have all this love to give, and I am the one standing in the way of my children having a larger family?” she said.

JK let out a slow sigh over the phone line, processing the gravity of her emotional dilemma.

“There is a big difference between protecting your kids and keeping a grudge, Selen. If Rose and Jimmy’s regret is genuine, you do not have to throw them into the children’s lives tomorrow.

You can take it one small step at a time, on your own terms, when you are completely ready. You don’t owe them anything, but if it benefits the triplets, you can establish the boundaries slowly” he told her.

Selen let out a slow, heavy breath, the tight knot of confusion in her chest loosening just a fraction as she listened to his advice.

She looked down at the boxes she had retrieved from Clancy’s bedroom, realizing that closing the door on her past did not mean she had to lock her children out of a future filled with more people who cared about them.

The inner turmoil that had suffocated her all afternoon was finally transforming into a calm path forward. “It is hard to trust anyone from that family, JK”, Selen said softly, her fingers tracing the edge of her laptop.

“Every single time I think I have built a safe perimeter for my children, a new piece of the past shows up at the door. I cannot forget how they treated me when I was completely vulnerable under their roof. It makes me question if their regret is just a reaction to the circumstances or if it is a real desire to

change” she said.

“Your skepticism is entirely justified”, JK answered, his voice steady and calm. “You survived a baseline of absolute hostility from them, and nobody expects you to lower your guard overnight.

But you are no longer the forced bride they once tried to break. You are the ambassador for Spain’s art world, and with your own authority and your own sanctuary. They have no leverage over you anymore, which means any connection they have with the kids will happen entirely under your terms and your supervision. You hold all the cards now, Selen” He said.

Selen nodded slowly, even though he could not see her. “You are right. I need to keep separating my past trauma from what is best for the triplets. Diana needs absolute peace to finish her recovery, and David and Daniel need stability as they start their new school next week.

The last thing I want is to bring an active conflict into this environment when we are finally finding our routine” she said.

“Then do not bring it in yet”, JK suggested. “Take this month to let the kids adjust to Kent. Focus on your new mission from work and get through the administrative hurdles with Calus Sterling’s committee.

When, and only when you are ready can you then make a final decision about the grandparents after you have settled the current professional dust” he said.

“Thank you, JK”, Selen whispered, feeling a genuine sense of relief as his words anchored her chaotic thoughts. “I do not know what I would do without your perspective,” she said.

“You would figure it out anyway, because you are Selen Williams”, JK laughed softly before they hung up.

Selen lowered her cell phone, the silence of her study no longer feeling heavy, but completely peaceful as she prepared to face the next chapter of her life in England.