He Raised Me Then Lost Me Novel by Silas Darke _ Novel




He Raised Me Then Lost Me Chapter 01

When Geraldine Mendoza was thirteen, her father, Isaac Mendoza, died in a structural survey accident.
Nicholas Woodard, Isaac's most prized protégé, took the orphaned girl into the Woodard family.
In New York's elite social circle, everyone addressed him respectfully as "Mr. Woodard."
Only Geraldine, timid and soft-voiced, called him "Nick."
She called him that for eight years.
She once believed his strict discipline and cold standards meant she was special, and that was a kind of love.
One rainy night, she drank too much and confessed her feelings.
He shook her off so hard that she stumbled and fell. The disgust in his eyes cut like a blade.
He said, "Geraldine, don't make me regret raising you.
"Get rid of those sick thoughts. I will never be anything to you except a guardian."
Shame crushed her pride.
Geraldine moved out of the Woodard's residence that very night and requested to be assigned to the toughest job site the company had.
For five years, she avoided him completely.
***
Tonight was the Woodard Group's celebration banquet.
It was also Geraldine's 23rd birthday.
She stood behind a massive Roman column in the ballroom, her fingers pale as she gripped her phone.
On the screen was the message she had sent him.
"Nick, it's my birthday today. Could you come to see me, even for just a minute?"
There was no reply.
Just as she was about to give up and leave, the ballroom doors slowly opened.
Under the spotlight, Nicholas walked in wearing a perfectly tailored black suit. A stunning woman held his arm.
It was Phoebe Saunders, his newly announced fiancée, and the industry's so-called genius designer.
He adjusted her shawl with a tenderness Geraldine had never seen.
"Gerry! You're here! Happy birthday." Phoebe spotted Geraldine first and walked over, still linked to Nicholas.
She smiled graciously and handed Geraldine a thick envelope.
Nicholas glanced at Geraldine as if she were a stranger. "My wife prepared this coming-of-age gift for you. Open it."
The words "my wife" hit like a hammer to her chest.
Geraldine's hands trembled as she tore it open. The moment she saw the contents, the blood in her body seemed to freeze.
It wasn't a check or a property deed.
It was a court order severing his legal ties to her, along with a notice stating she no longer resided at the Woodard's residence. Even the small bedroom she hadn't cleared out yet at the Woodard's residence was already marked vacated.
"What is this?" Her voice shook.
"Gerry, this is something Nick and I decided together," Phoebe said gently.
There was a faint smugness behind her soft tone.
"You're a grown woman now, and you'll get married one day. Staying with the Woodard family invites gossip. Once you're fully independent, you'll have the confidence to live your own life. Isn't that better?"
"What a perfect excuse," Geraldine thought.
Was this because she had fallen for the wrong man? Was he going to erase her from his world, on her birthday, in front of everyone?
This was more than paperwork. It was a declaration.
From now on, her life or death had nothing to do with the Woodard family.
Geraldine's eyes burned, but Nicholas only frowned impatiently. "What are you standing there for? Aren't you going to thank Phoebe for this?"
She bit her lip until she tasted blood. Then, she forced out a smile uglier than tears. "Thank you... Pheebs. This is very generous."
"I'm glad you like it." Phoebe's smile deepened.
"Take it and remember who you are starting today," Nicholas added coldly. "Since you're officially on your own now, think before you act. Don't embarrass the Woodard family again."
Geraldine held the heavy documents like a puppet with its strings cut.
The bold words "Change of Legal Residence" blurred before her eyes.
When she looked up again, Nicholas was already leading Phoebe onto the dance floor.
Under the shifting lights, they looked made for each other, surrounded by applause and blessings. Meanwhile, Geraldine stood alone in the corner like discarded trash.
When he lowered his head and kissed Phoebe's hair, Geraldine's heart felt like it was splitting apart.
She used to think she had that softness once.
When she won her first design award, he had rested his hand on her head and told her she made him proud.
When she ran a high fever and couldn't keep water down, he stayed up all night by her bed, making sure she sipped water.
She thought it meant something.
Now she understood. It wasn't love, it was generosity. She had been greedy enough to mistake kindness for romance.
If she'd known this was how it would end, she would've stayed in her place and been a quiet girl standing behind him.

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