The Truth Between Us

The bell above the bookstore door chimed softly.

Lena looked up from the counter, heart thundering in her chest.

And there he was.

Dominic Black.

He stepped through the doorway like he owned the world. Tall, sharp in a tailored navy suit, his black hair slicked back, jaw tense. His eyes scanned the room—until they locked on her.

For a moment, neither of them spoke.

The silence between them buzzed louder than words ever could.

Lena felt as though the floor beneath her had vanished. Every breath took effort. Every second felt like a year.

Dominic was the first to speak.

“So it is you.”

His voice was low. Controlled. But not calm.

Lena straightened. “What do you want, Dominic?”

He walked closer, eyes never leaving hers. “Answers.”

She swallowed hard. “About what?”

“You disappeared five years ago,” he said coldly. “Changed your name. Cut all contact. And now I find you here… with a little girl who looks exactly like me.”

Lena stiffened. “You don’t get to walk in here after everything and start asking questions.”

His expression didn’t change. “You told me you were pregnant. I didn’t believe you. That’s on me. But I’m not walking away this time without the truth.”

Lena stepped out from behind the counter, arms crossed tightly over her chest.

“She’s not a bargaining chip, Dominic.”

“I didn’t say she was.”

“She’s a child,” Lena snapped. “And you made it very clear you didn’t want her. Or me.”

His eyes darkened. “That was five years ago.”

“And this is now,” she said, her voice trembling despite herself. “I built a life without you. I raised her alone. I worked three jobs, I slept on floors—I protected her. You don’t get to show up and pretend to care because she has your eyes.”

He flinched—just barely. But Lena saw it.

“She deserves to know her father,” he said, softer this time.

“She deserves stability,” Lena countered. “Not to be dragged into your world of PR events and paparazzi.”

Dominic ran a hand down his jaw. “Is she mine?”

Lena didn’t move.

“Lena,” he pressed, voice rough, “just tell me the truth.”

The truth burned on her tongue.

“Yes,” she whispered. “She’s yours.”

A silence fell like glass shattering.

Dominic closed his eyes for a moment. When he opened them, the anger was gone—replaced by something that looked a lot like guilt.

“I want to meet her.”

“No,” Lena said quickly. “Not yet.”

“She’s my daughter.”

“She doesn’t know that. She just knows she’s safe. If you’re going to be in her life, you have to prove you won’t disappear again. You don’t get to walk in and disrupt everything.”

Dominic’s jaw flexed, but he nodded once.

“Then let me start somewhere.”

Lena looked away.

This was the moment she’d dreaded for years.

And it was only just beginning.

Dominic stepped back slightly, as if the air between them had grown heavier.

“How old is she?” he asked, his voice low.

Lena’s arms remained crossed. “Five. She turned five in April.”

His eyes flickered—calculating, aligning timelines. His jaw tensed. “She was mine all along.”

Lena didn’t answer. She didn’t have to.

He looked away briefly, one hand resting on the edge of the counter. For a man who always seemed untouchable, unreadable, Dominic looked… shaken.

“She’s healthy?” he asked after a pause.

Lena nodded. “Smart. Kind. Loves to draw. Always asking questions.”

His lips twitched slightly—something like a smile, but fleeting.

“You did all that without me.”

Lena raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t have a choice.”

He met her gaze again. “You did. You could have come back.”

“I tried, Dominic.” Her voice cracked, but she held it steady. “Do you know what it felt like, being accused of lying about your own child? Being treated like I was scheming, manipulating—when all I wanted was to keep her safe?”

“I was wrong,” he admitted quietly. “I didn’t know how to handle it. I didn’t trust anyone back then. Especially not myself.”

Lena’s throat tightened. She looked away.

“I left you because I couldn’t stay in a marriage where I felt invisible,” she said softly. “I was surviving, not living. And when I found out I was pregnant… for the first time in years, I felt like I had something worth fighting for.”

Dominic said nothing. His silence wasn’t cold—it was heavy, filled with everything he wasn’t saying.

“She doesn’t know anything about you,” Lena added. “I didn’t even show her pictures. I couldn’t risk confusing her. Or disappointing her.”

“I want to meet her,” he said again. “Properly. Slowly. I’m not asking to take her from you.”

Lena looked up. “But you’re thinking about it.”

He didn’t deny it. Instead, he said, “I’m trying to make this right. I can’t erase what happened, Lena. But I can show up now. I can be there.”

She studied him for a long moment. His expression was sincere. Controlled, but not cold. There was vulnerability in his eyes—a man no longer running from his mistakes.

Still, she wasn’t ready to hand over her world.

“You can’t just decide to be a father and expect her to embrace it overnight,” Lena said carefully. “She’s sensitive. She notices everything.”

“Then let me try.”

Lena nodded, slowly. “We’ll take it one step at a time. On my terms.”

Dominic inclined his head. “That’s fair.”

She exhaled. Her whole body felt like it had been clenched for hours.

“I need time to think,” she said. “And talk to her.”

“I’ll wait.”

He turned to leave, but paused at the door.

“Thank you,” he said quietly. “For telling me the truth.”

She didn’t reply. She simply watched him go, her chest tight.

The moment the door closed behind him, Lena leaned against the counter, drained.

She wasn’t sure if she had done the right thing.

But one thing was certain:

Life as she knew it had changed forever.