Falling For My Ex's Dad (Clarissa and Gabriel) novel Chapter 174

Clairessa’s POV

Adrian turned his head to look at me, eyes narrowing slightly. “What do you mean?”

“I was angry that you cheated on me,” I whispered. “So I decided to get even… and I started seeing someone.”

Adrian’s expression darkened; hurt flashed through his eyes before he quickly masked it. “Okay. So you were with someone while we were apart. If I’m being honest, I kinda suspected it… based on how quickly you seemed ready to move on from us.”

He gave a short, shaky breath. “If that’s what this big talk is about, then… Clairessa, that’s not a crime. We weren’t together. You don’t have to beat yourself up over that. We can move on from it.”

“Not when you find out who it was…”

Adrian shifted and reached for my hands. “Claire, listen. I don’t need to know who the guy is. It doesn’t matter.”

I stared at him, my throat tightening. “You don’t understand—”

“Shhh…” Adrian hushed me gently, pressing two fingers to my lips. “I understand what you’re going through. I’ve carried my own guilt in all of this. And I know you’re carrying yours now too.”

“This isn’t just about guilt,” I said, trying to make him understand. “It’s about freedom. About finally telling the truth.”

He drew back slightly, frowning. “Freedom? For who?”

He stood, putting distance between us.

“What’s the point of the truth now, Claire? Will it fix anything? Will it give us peace—or just more pain?”

I rose too, my body tense, voice steady despite the fear tightening my chest.

“Even if it hurts… even if it tears things open again, at least it’s real. And maybe if we face it, we can forgive. We can heal.”

Adrian turned to me again, something raw flashing in his eyes.

“I don’t want to picture you with someone else,” he bit out. “I don’t want to know what he looks like or how far it went. I don’t want that burned into me.”

He reached for my hands. “Whatever happened when we were apart—if it helps—I forgive you. All of it. I just want to move forward. With you.”

“Adrian…” My voice barely came out.

He leaned in, his gaze searching my face for permission. “I’m not perfect. You’re not either. But I know what I want. I want us.”

I slowly released my hands from his.

“I don’t know if we can go… back…”

“Then let’s not go back,” he cut in, his voice urgent, almost pleading. “Let’s start over. Don’t say no yet. Just… don’t shut the door.”

I didn’t move. Couldn’t. Each word he said made the truth harder to speak.

If he knew the full story—knew it was his father I’d been with for months—he wouldn’t be standing here, asking to fix things. In reality, I was trying to save him from what was coming.

I knew in my heart that there was no future for us—not just because of his betrayal, but because I was in love with his father.

That truth was a lot for anyone to take in, and when Adrian found out, I knew he’d lose his mind and curse me out.

It was clear Gabriel was done with me, and leaving felt like the only choice—walking away from the Storm men and the company, just like he wanted.

A knock at the door made us both flinch.

Gretchen stepped in wearing a cheerful smile. “Dinner’s ready. Come on before it gets cold.”

Adrian straightened with a grin.

“Thanks, Gretchen. We’ll be down in a sec.”

As she left, he turned to me again with a smile. “You heard Gretchen. The dinner we prepared has been served… Let’s go eat.”

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