The scent of fresh coffee and vanilla muffins drifted through the tiny café, but Ava barely noticed. She sat tucked into the corner booth, her laptop open, a pile of bills to the side, and her son Liam happily coloring on a placemat beside her.
She glanced at the screen again—another rejection. “Thank you for your submission. Unfortunately, we’ve decided to go in another direction.” Ava sighed, rubbing her temples. Freelance work wasn’t paying like it used to, and her savings were running thinner by the day. Still, she managed. She always had. For five years, it had just been her and Liam, and that was how she liked it. Until yesterday. Until he returned. She didn’t need the news anchor’s voice to recognize him—Dominic Monroe. The man who had once broken her heart and unknowingly left her with a piece of himself. Ava had stared in disbelief at the television screen in the café’s corner. “Dominic Monroe, CEO of Monroe Industries, has officially returned to New York after five years abroad. The tech mogul, known for his mysterious disappearance following a boardroom scandal, has reappeared stronger than ever.” Just seeing his name again had made her throat dry. Her fingers had instinctively gone to the delicate silver locket she always wore—inside was a photo of Liam, and a piece of a memory she’d tried to bury. She forced herself back to the present, to the café, to the warmth of Liam’s giggle beside her. “Mommy, look! I drew a rocket ship!” he said, thrusting the paper up with pride. Ava smiled, brushing a curl from his forehead. His eyes—Dominic’s eyes—looked up at her with such innocence. “Wow, that’s amazing, sweetheart,” she said. “You're going to fly to the moon one day.” “Only if you come with me!” Liam grinned. Her heart squeezed. She'd done everything she could to protect him from the world—and from the truth. “Always,” she whispered. Just then, the café door chimed. She didn’t look up at first, but something—some pull—made her turn. Tall. Sharp suit. Dark hair. The air shifted. Ava’s blood ran cold. Dominic Monroe stood just a few feet away, speaking to the barista, his profile unmistakable. Her breath caught in her throat. It couldn’t be. Not here. Not now. Her instinct screamed: Get out. But her body stayed rooted, eyes wide, fingers trembling. He hadn’t seen her. Yet. She looked at Liam, obliviously humming to himself and coloring again. He can’t see him… Not like this. Not here. “Liam,” she said, keeping her voice calm, “let’s go, baby. We’ll take our muffins to the park.” “But Mommy—” “No buts.” Her voice cracked slightly. She gathered their things, shoving her laptop into the bag, heart pounding like a drum. As she rose, Liam’s crayon rolled off the table. “Oops!” he chirped and darted after it. And bumped right into a pair of expensive leather shoes. Dominic looked down. Ava froze. His eyes—so familiar, so piercing—met Liam’s first, then flicked up to hers. Recognition didn’t flash across his face. Not yet. But something shifted. He blinked. Took in the child. Then her. “Ava?” Her name hit like thunder. “Dominic,” she said, barely breathing. His brows furrowed. “I… didn’t expect—” She stepped between him and Liam. “We were just leaving.” But he kept staring at the boy. “How old is he?” She hesitated. “Five.” The silence crackled. Dominic’s eyes narrowed, just slightly. “He looks…” “Goodbye, Dominic.” Before he could say more, she took Liam’s hand and rushed out of the café into the cool air, her heart thudding like a warning bell. Back in the safety of her apartment, Ava locked the door and sank to the floor, her hands shaking. She’d spent five years avoiding this moment. Five years building a life for her son far from the chaos of Dominic Monroe’s world. And now, the past had found her. Liam sat on the couch, humming, playing with his crayons like nothing had happened. But Ava’s world had just shifted on its axis. She knew him. Dominic wasn’t a man who let questions go unanswered. And once he saw a puzzle, he didn’t rest until he solved it. She hadn’t told him the truth five years ago. Hadn’t even said goodbye. Now he was back. And he’d seen the boy with his eyes, his hair, and his spirit. It’s only a matter of time, she thought.The morning after Delilah uncovered the key, tension hung in the Sinclair household like a tightly drawn bow.Dominic spent the early hours making calls to his legal team and trusted security firm, arranging for a discreet investigation into the now-defunct Sinclair Financial. Ava, meanwhile, kept herself occupied baking with Liam and tending to Emilia, trying to project calm while her thoughts stormed beneath the surface.Delilah stayed mostly in her room, poring over the old letters and documents in the wooden box, hoping for clarity. But most of the pages were cryptic—coded messages, mentions of numbered accounts, and references to unfamiliar names. One phrase repeated more than once, scribbled in the margins of different pages:"Only the broken will find the door."Delilah couldn’t make sense of it. "What door? What does it mean?"---Later that day, Dominic gathered the family in the study. His expression was grim but focused."The firm Sinclair Financial closed a decade ago," he
Spring unfurled slowly around the Sinclair estate. Trees bloomed with pale blossoms, and birdsong filled the crisp morning air. Despite the serenity, a quiet tension simmered beneath the surface—a storm of a different kind. Ava noticed it first. Delilah had grown quieter over the past week. Though she still helped around the house and worked on marketing for the bakery, her smiles were more strained, her laughter delayed. At night, Ava sometimes heard the creak of floorboards as Delilah wandered the hallways alone. It all came to a head one Saturday morning. Dominic had taken Liam to a nearby lake for fishing, giving Ava and Delilah the house to themselves. Ava was in the kitchen kneading dough for brioche when she noticed Delilah sitting silently at the table, her hands folded tightly in her lap. "You okay?" Ava asked gently. Delilah hesitated, then nodded. "Just tired." But Ava could see the shadow in her eyes. "You haven’t been sleeping, have you?" Delilah looked away. "I ha
It had been three days since Delilah arrived, and the Sinclair home had begun adjusting to her presence in small but telling ways. Her things were no longer in a soggy satchel but neatly folded in the guest bedroom. She joined meals, helped with household chores, and took Emilia for walks around the garden to give Ava time to rest. But even with her gentle demeanor and obvious gratitude, the tension lingered beneath the surface.Ava noticed it first in Dominic. The way his jaw tightened when Delilah entered a room unexpectedly, the guarded tone he took when she asked questions about their father or their family business. He wanted to believe in her, Ava knew, but belief didn’t come easy to someone who had been betrayed so deeply before.That morning, Ava found him alone in the home office, staring blankly at the fireplace, a mug of untouched coffee cooling on the desk."She said she studied architecture in Paris," he muttered as Ava entered. "That she graduated with honors. But there’
The storm rolled in just after dusk. Heavy clouds gathered over the Sinclair estate, blanketing the sky in charcoal as thunder rumbled in the distance. Ava stood by the window in the nursery, gently rocking Emilia in her arms, watching as the first fat raindrops splattered against the glass. The rhythm of the storm was oddly soothing, echoing the beat of her heart. Dominic appeared behind her, slipping his arms around her waist, his chin settling on her shoulder. "Still can't believe she's ours," he whispered, his voice reverent. Ava smiled, her gaze fixed on their daughter, whose tiny hands clutched at the edge of her mother’s blouse in a sleep-hazy grip. "She's everything," she murmured. "Everything we didn't know we needed." Dominic pressed a kiss to her cheek. "And you're everything I ever needed." They stood there for a while, swaying gently to the sound of wind and rain, wrapped in the cocoon of their little world. But peace never lingered too long in lives that had once be
The days that followed felt like they existed outside of time — a tender, dreamlike bubble where everything was new, yet somehow familiar. Ava moved slowly around the house, careful not to disturb baby Emilia as she slept soundly in her cradle, arms tucked close to her chest, lips making the occasional sleepy pout. Every breath that left her tiny nose felt like a miracle. And Dominic was right there with her, every step of the way. That morning, sunlight filtered gently through the curtains, casting a warm glow across the nursery as Dominic adjusted the blankets and tucked Emilia in a little tighter. “She looks like you,” he whispered, brushing his fingertips lightly across their daughter’s dark hair. Ava smiled, leaning into him as they stood together at the cradle. “And she already has you wrapped around her little finger,” she teased softly. He chuckled, hands slipping around her waist. “That part’s true,” he agreed. “Both of you do.” --- The house was full again — Liam had
Ava woke to a sharp twinge in her belly. For a long moment, she lay still, listening to the rain outside and the even rhythm of Dominic’s breathing beside her. Maybe it was just another kick, another gentle nudge from the baby telling her to roll over. But then it happened again — a low, cramping sensation that was undeniably different. Her heart gave a little jump. “Dominic,” she whispered into the dark. He was instantly awake, blinking at her with that quiet intensity that could steady her in an instant. “Ava?” “I think it’s starting,” she murmured. In an instant, Dominic was up and at her side, one hand reaching to support her back as she slowly sat up. “Alright,” he said calmly — though she could see the spark of excitement in his gaze. “Let’s do this. I’ll call your mom and let her know we’re heading to the hospital.” --- The house was quiet as they prepared to leave, the rain outside shimmering in the glow of the porch light. Dominic had her hospital bag already waitin