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Chapter Sixteen

Author: Larissa Watson
last update Last Updated: 2025-06-26 21:41:21

Loria’s POV

I stood just inside the doorway, quiet, unmoving, and completely unprepared for the tidal wave that was this moment.

Simon’s back was to me as he pulled open drawers with the kind of ease that came from hundreds of mornings just like this one. He didn’t hesitate. Each movement was practiced, efficient, and loving. The kind of care that came from devotion, not obligation.

Zerina stilled beneath my skin, her ears tuned not to sound, but to feeling.

“He’s a good father,” she said softly. “He loves that boy.”

“Yeah,” I agreed. “I can see it in everything he does.”

Anthony’s little legs swung at the edge of the bed while Simon moved around him, collecting socks and a dinosaur shirt. The kind of shirt a kid would wear until it practically fell apart.

I found myself smiling before I even realized it.

And then, he sniffed the air. I saw his little nose twitch and his head snap toward me like a wolf cub who just caught wind of something important.

His eyes widened.

“Daddy, who is t
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