JakeI had faced boardrooms, betrayals, and blood, but nothing, nothing, had ever terrified me like the sound of that hospital door opening.I was expecting them, I knew they were almost here, but I was still nervous. They walked in together, small steps echoing down the sterile corridor, each one cutting deeper into the mess of my heart. Elias first, tall for his age now, that same steady look in his eyes that reminded me of Kyla when she was trying not to cry. Chanel clung to my mother’s hand, her little face hidden behind her curls, clutching a stuffed bunny I hadn’t seen in years.The second Elias saw me, he broke into a run. “Daddy!”I didn’t even think, I opened my arms, wincing as pain shot through my side, but I didn’t care. He slammed into me with all the force of love I didn’t deserve, and Chanel followed a heartbeat later, crawling onto the bed and pressing her cheek to my chest.I froze for a moment, breathing them in, the scent of home, of innocence, of everything I was
Last Updated : 2025-11-05 Read more