the lies and the betrayal. I remembered how he would show up at my architecture firm with coffee, just to see me for five minutes. H

take credit for my work. I was devastated. David showed up at my office around midnight. He didn't say much. He just took the blueprints from my hands, led me out o

round me. "One day, you'll have your own firm, and you'll build thing

. The memory was so vivid, so warm, that it made the present reality feel even colde

or the condo. David and Chloe were there, along with his mother. The air was thick

Miller," the lawyer

lt wrong. I was so used to think

ing at the space just over David's shoulder

. It was a concession, a white fla

red at me, a strange look in h

?" I asked

s voice hard as steel. "We are not related. I

e, that any connection we once had was completely and utterly severed. My l

Darling, don't be harsh. Sarah is just upset. You know your me

and me the aggressor. It was a masterful performance. David' s

he had just done something heroic. She gave Chloe a small, approving n

bones. It was a fatigue so deep it felt l

words coming out as a s

sy scrawl. I pushed the documents back

I said. "I

another word, not w

let the tears come. A few minutes later, my phone buzzed. It was a text

her up. The moment she saw me, her little face lit u

red, her voice muff

ar. She had sensed the shift, the instability. She knew, on

I murmured, holding her tight. "