He leaned forward, placing his elbows on his knees.

“If you proceed with the DOE complaint, our legal team will file a counter-suit.”

“We will submit this drive as evidence of corporate malfeasance.”

“The Department of Energy won’t just look at our patents.”

“They will look at yours.”

The room became very quiet.

The sound of a lawnmower hummed in the distance outside the window.

My father looked at my mother, his eyes wide with a sudden, silent panic.

“Helen,” he whispered. “Is that true?”

She didn’t answer him.

She kept her eyes fixed on Derek, her expression frozen in a mask of cold anger.

“You would ruin your father’s company,” she said.

“To save a project that will probably fail anyway.”

“It’s not just a project, Mother,” I said.

“It’s our lives.”

“And we aren’t ruining anything.”

“You did that when you decided that control was more important than your children.”

I looked at her, and for the first time in my life, I didn’t feel the heavy weight of her disapproval.

The fear that had kept me quiet for years was gone, replaced by a simple, clear understanding.