couldn’t help destroying his achievements

[Quang Hai]

hello everyone. I am reading Marrying Damian (W. Trevor). Damian is a doctor's friend, 60 years old and a useless man. He came doctor's house and it turned out that doctor's daughter (a social worker) is falling in love with him. Below are what doctor and his wife thoughts:

'Had he come to us this time with a purpose? Claire asked when she ceased to weep. Did he intend our daughter to earn his living for him, to tend him in the place of his childhood, cosseting his old man’s frailties? Had his future lit up suddenly on a London street, the years ahead radiant as a jewel in his imagination? ‘I’ll tell them,’ had our daughter said already, planning to sit us down, to pour out drinks in celebration? She would break the news that was not news, and we’d embrace her, not pointing out that Damian couldn’t help destroying his achievements. And she would hurry to him when he next appeared and they would stand together as lovers do'

I do not understand the underlined words. I thought it should write as: 'not pointing out that Damian couldn’t help destroying HER achievements'. Please help me out on this point. many thanks.

 

[Raymott]

hello everyone. I am reading Marrying Damian (W. Trevor). Damian is a doctor's friend, 60 years old and a useless man. He came doctor's house and it turned out that doctor's daughter (a social worker) is falling in love with him. Below are what doctor and his wife thoughts:

'Had he come to us this time with a purpose? Claire asked when she ceased to weep. Did he intend our daughter to earn his living for him, to tend him in the place of his childhood, cosseting his old man’s frailties? Had his future lit up suddenly on a London street, the years ahead radiant as a jewel in his imagination? ‘I’ll tell them,’ had our daughter said already, planning to sit us down, to pour out drinks in celebration? She would break the news that was not news, and we’d embrace her, not pointing out that Damian couldn’t help destroying his achievements. And she would hurry to him when he next appeared and they would stand together as lovers do'

I do not understand the underlined words. I thought it should write as: 'not pointing out that Damian couldn’t help destroying HER achievements'. Please help me out on this point. many thanks.

It seems that Damian does have some minor achievements but that he destroys them all in some way. For example, he graduated from college, but didn't get a job in that field. He gets other jobs, but loses them. He's a failure because he doesn't build on his achievements.