Hannah closed her eyes for a brief moment to regain her composure. “First of all, those one hundred million dollars do not belong to me,” Hannah explained firmly. “That money is an institutional grant dedicated entirely to research, lab equipment, paper conservation, and training future specialists over several years, meaning every single dollar is strictly audited.”
Chloe went silent on the line.
“Second of all, my personal duty to Dad does not change because of this research grant,” Hannah continued without pause. “I am still going to pay whatever amount is necessary to ensure he receives proper medical care.”
“But we are sisters!” Chloe argued back loudly.
Hannah cut her off before she could say another word. “Were we sisters when Dad excluded me from the inheritance and neither of you spoke up for me?” Hannah asked coldly.
I felt as though the floor had completely disappeared beneath my feet.
“And do you even remember why I left home in the first place?” Hannah added. “Dad explicitly told me that if I chose this career path, I should never cross his doorstep ever again.”
I could not bring myself to look up at her face. I had spoken those cruel words, yet for years I preferred to remember the past differently by telling myself that Hannah had left out of stubborn pride. The truth was far more painful, as I was the one who had driven her away.
Chloe tried to pivot the conversation. “Well, that happened a very long time ago, and right now Dad needs our help,” she pleaded.
“Dad is staying with me now, so you do not need to worry,” Hannah stated plainly before hanging up the phone.
The office fell completely silent after the call ended.
“Hannah…” I murmured softly, searching for words.
“You do not have to explain anything to me today,” she said in a tone completely free of anger.
Her lack of anger hurt me far more than an outburst would have. She temporarily arranged for me to stay in a small apartment that the research center reserved for visiting scholars. It was a simple space featuring a single bedroom, a living room, a tiny kitchen, and long bookshelves filled with volumes on chemistry, history, and paper science.
We barely saw each other during my first week there. I ate my breakfast alone, as she left for the laboratory early in the morning and often returned after eleven o’clock at night.
