All Chapters of The Fathers of My Child?: Chapter 111 - Chapter 120

#Dorothy’s POV#I stare at the building like it’s something ancient and unkind. Like the walls are waiting to swallow me whole, quietly, and the windows are mocking me, reflecting my hesitation back at me.I should turn back. I really should.But I'm already here.Earlier this morning.Joel dropped me back at the motel a little after nine. I was tired. Exhausted, actually. From everything. From feeling too much. From thinking too much. From... letting him in again.God. What the hell is wrong with me?He was careful with me. Not in the old way, the walking-on-eggshells Joel way, but in this unfamiliar, aware, maybe slightly annoying way that just made everything feel even more surreal.We walked past the old lady receptionist again, her glasses still hanging crooked on her face like last night never even happened.At my door, I turned. And he stopped.It was awkward. So awkward. My stomach burned, and I hated that my first instinct was to smile because the way he looked at me was gentl

#Joel’s POV#“This one?” I ask, pointing at the muted lavender headboard on the screen. One of the maids, the younger one with the tight bun, nods nervously. Another flips to the next slide.It’s been a long day and the villa’s living room is dim except for the table lamps and the bright tablet screens glowing on the coffee table. I’m seated on the center couch, legs spread, robe loose, sipping on cold water while half-paying attention to the three maids shuffling over design options for Dorothy’s future room. The colors I’ve asked them to stick to: calm, soft, not too bright. Something clean, safe, and peaceful.“I like this one,” I mutter, clicking through the options and stopping at a cream-colored set with gold trimmings. “It looks like something she’d like.”They nod, jot things down.God, I hope she actually gets to use the damn room.My phone vibrates on the table and I reach for it fast. “Dr Malik,” I say into the phone.“Joel,” he sounds tired. “Good evening.”I sit straighte

#Dorothy’s POV#The room is dark except for the dim light from the corridor slipping in through the tiny window slot above the door. The air is colder than it was earlier and the silence wraps itself around my body. I groan, my throat dry, and blink slowly as the white ceiling swims into view.I shift slightly, then pause.There's someone sitting in the visitor chair. Slumped over, one arm crossed awkwardly over his chest, the other hanging loosely at his side. His head tilts to one side, his jaw slack in sleep.Joel.My heart skips.I blink again.He's actually here?Wait… he didn’t lie?I don't move for a full minute. Just stare at him in stunned silence. His brows are drawn slightly, like whatever he's dreaming about isn’t peaceful. His collar’s rumpled, and the tip of his tie is loose like he tugged at it out of habit before dozing off. His shoes are still on. The man didn’t even take off his shoes.I… don’t know how to feel.He came.He actually came.After everything. After sayi

#Joel’s POV#I’m in a good mood.But of course, I can’t show it. Not too much. Not around Dorothy. She’s fragile right now, probably still tired, healing and processing all the madness this life has thrown at her. So I keep it low. I keep it under control. I nod politely to passing nurses and pretend to be busy on my phone, but really it’s on Do Not Disturb. Every call, every meeting, every single ounce of work that used to dictate my day has been canceled. No assistant calls. No boardroom pings. Nothing. I’m just Joel today. Joel the husband. Joel the man who’s still trying to make up for everything he destroyed.Dorothy hadn’t eaten much earlier. She barely touched the meal the clinic brought. And I can’t even blame her. I saw it too. Looked like something scraped off a sidewalk and stuffed into a microwave pack. That’s why I called the driver before I stepped out. Told him to wait out front. I want to go get her something decent. Real food. Something warm and human and gentle, not i

#Dorothy's POV#It’s only when I feel a slight cramp in my wrist that I realize I’ve been holding Joel’s hand all the way from the clinic to the villa.Neither of us says a word about it, and neither of us lets go.I only blink out of my thoughts when the car slows by the massive front gate of the villa—God. It’s barely been over a week since I last saw this place, yet it feels like I’ve been gone for a whole damn year. Like the earth rotated slower in the time I was away. Like time here and time out there aren’t even friends.The gate opens.And… what?All the staff?Outside?There’s… all of them?Standing in a soft line along the gravel path, some waving gently, some with hands politely behind them. A few of the maids smile so wide their cheeks shake. One even has flowers. I glance around, genuinely confused for a second, until I realize; they’re all here to welcome me back. Me.I feel my throat tighten. Joel is already by my side as we step out of the car together.I catch a few fam