?Chapter 1543:


    Maia couldn’t stop herself. “If that’s the case… wouldn’t it have been good for them to be together?”


    From her perspective, her parents shared no blood ties, cared deeply for one another, and understood each other better than anyone. And Garrett was the son of Dominic’s fallenrade—it felt like a bond strengthened rather than broken. They deserved happiness.


    For reasons she couldn’t quite exin, Maia’s thoughts drifted briefly to Zoey, the adopted daughter of the Cooper family—a woman who had never been able to be with the person she loved, and who had suffered far worse for it.


    At Maia’s words, Dominic let out a bitterugh, the smile on his face edged with self-mockery. “You’re right,” he said quietly. “It would have been good. That’s how I see it now.” His hand curled into a fist and struck his thigh with a dull thud. “But back then, I couldn’t think that way at all.” He tightened his grip, regret heavy in his voice. “At the time, I was firmly against them being together.”


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    Maia looked at him, puzzled. “Why?” she asked softly. “Did you have other concerns back then?”


    Dominic’s reaction was barely perceptible. He paused for a fraction of a second, then gave a slow nod, his expression steeped in long-held contempt—for himself.


    “Because of my dignity.”


    The moment the words left his mouth, his brows drew together. He shut his eyes tightly, as though repulsed by the man he had been.


    “Back then, I was afraid of rumors—afraid of whispers behind our backs, afraid people would drag the Watson family through the mud, afraid it would damage my career. The Watson family stood at the height of its influence then. Too many eyes were fixed on us. I did think about telling the truth, but adoption procedures weren’t well established at the time. Even if I had exined everything, who would have believed me?”


    His hands curled into fists, the sharp crack of his knuckles cutting through the quiet room. “People only believe what they want to believe—especially when it’s ugly. They would have said Dominic Watson failed to raise his own children and brought shame upon the family.”


    His voice sank lower, weighted with an exhaustion that seemed toe from somewhere deep within. “So when your mother and father begged me for permission, I lost control. That night, I had a fierce argument with your mother. I said many cruel things—and forced them out.”


    Maia stared at him, her gaze keen and unyielding, untouched by the regret in his tone. “What did you say?” she asked quietly.


    She needed to hear it—to understand what words could push two people who loved each other to abandon everything and walk away from home.


    Dominic turned toward her, his eyes heavy with remorse. “I said that if they insisted on staying together, they should leave the Watson family. I said I would act as though I had never had a daughter and never adopted a son. I told them never to appear before me again.”


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