Cracks in the Wall(Lena’s POV)

Lena stood in the kitchen doorway, watching Eliana talk to her lions as she munched on her apple slices.

Dominic was gone.

But his presence still lingered—like the scent of his cologne,the weight of memories pressing on her chest.

“Max and Leo are best friends now,” Eliana said happily, holding the two lions together.

“Who?” Lena asked blinking continuously, to bring herself back from painful memories.

“Silly mummy, my lions” Eliana giggled cheerfully.

“That’s wonderful, sweetheart,” Lena murmured, brushing a loose curl off her daughter’s forehead.

But her hands trembled.

She turned away before Eliana could notice, retreating to the small laundry room at the back of the apartment. She pressed her palms against the cool wall and then her chest, finally letting herself breathe.

She hadn’t expected it to hit so hard.

Seeing Dominic on the floor beside their daughter—smiling, gentle, almost human, pretty sure he was definitely human. That wasn’t the man she remembered from five years ago, that wasn’t the man she married. That man had been cold, calculated, emotionally unavailable behind custom made suits and ruthless business moves.

Today… he’d looked like a father.

And that terrified her more than anything. It scared her down to her bones.

Because if he could be that man now—

If he could truly want to stay—

Then everything she’d built to protect Eliana might unravel.

The carefully controlled distance. The clean boundaries. The safety net. He could take her away.

Lena closed her eyes and leaned her forehead against the wall.

She’d promised herself she wouldn’t let him back in. Not to her life. Not to her heart. Not anywhere at all.

But he was already cracking the walls. Quietly. Patiently. And part of her—a stupid, aching part of her—wondered what it would feel like to stop fighting.

To let him try. To let him in.

No. You can’t afford that. She had to remind herself of who he was. What she could most definitely loose.

The stakes were too high. Not just for her—but for Eliana.

Dominic had money, influence, power. If he changed his mind tomorrow and wanted custody, Lena would have a legal war on her hands. One she likely couldn’t win. One should could definitely not afford.

She had to stay sharp. Guarded. Rational.

And yet… she remembered the look in his eyes when he saw Eliana for the first time.

Not ownership. Not calculation.

Just awe. Regret. Longing. Pain for a life he missed.

Lena scrubbed her hands down her face and forced herself to move. She walked back into the kitchen, forcing a calm smile as she sat across from her daughter.

“Did you like Dominic?” she asked gently.

Eliana nodded, mouth full. “He was nice. He smells like money.”

Lena nearly choked on her laugh. “Where did you hear that?”

“Ms. Rina said it when he came to the store.”

“Of course she did,” Lena muttered.

Eliana leaned forward, whispering as if sharing a secret. “Can he come back and play with Max and Leo again?”

Lena hesitated.

She didn’t know how to say yes.

She didn’t know how to say no.

So she simply said, “We’ll see.”

⸻

Later that night, after Eliana had fallen asleep, Lena sat on the couch in the dim glow of the lamp and stared at her phone.

A message blinked on the screen.

Dominic: Thank you. I don’t have the words to express how I feel. But thank you.

She typed.

Deleted.

Typed again.

Lena: Don’t thank me. Just keep showing up. For her.

His reply came instantly.

Dominic: I will. Every chance you let me.

Lena set the phone down carefully.

She hated that part of her heart still believed him.