Tous les chapitres de : Chapitre 171 - Chapitre 180

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-TWOKatelyn had always believed that there were certain things time could take away from a person and certain things it could not.It could take away a marriage.It could take away a home.It could take away the version of herself who had once believed that loving someone was enough to make them stay.But time had also given her things she had never imagined she would have.A career she had worked hard for. A home that belonged to her. A daughter who filled the rooms with laughter every morning. A man who loved her without asking her to become someone else to deserve it.Those things were hers.And after eight years of rebuilding her life piece by piece, Katelyn had become fiercely protective of the quietness she had created.That was why the knock on her front door felt so strangely intrusive.She had just finished putting Avery's plate in the sink when she heard it.Avery was in the living room, sitting cross-legged on the rug with one of her stuffed

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY FOURBy the time Damon returned to the mansion, the afternoon had already begun to fade.He parked his car in the driveway but remained inside for several minutes, his hands resting loosely on the steering wheel while his mind replayed the events of the morning.Avery's smile. Her little voice. The drawing she had proudly shown him. The tiny pink sticker still sitting carefully in his palm. And then the promise.Damon looked down at the sticker again.He had been given expensive gifts countless times in his life. Watches. Cars. Rare bottles of wine. Pieces of art worth more than most people would earn in a lifetime.None of them had ever meant anything like this. This was a tiny pink heart that an eight-year-old girl had given him because she thought he looked sad.His daughter. The words still felt strange. Beautiful. Terrifying. He closed his fingers around the sticker before finally getting out of the car.The mansion was quiet when he entered. Too q

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-SIXKatelyn had spent the morning trying to convince herself that Genevieve's visit should not occupy so much space in her thoughts.She had dealt with difficult people before. Her years at St. Catherine's had taught her that anger, entitlement and cruelty often wore very convincing disguises, and Genevieve was hardly the first person who had tried to make her feel small.Yet there was something different about what had happened at her home.Genevieve had not simply come to confront her about Damon.She had arrived knowing where Katelyn lived, knowing about Avery and knowing something Katelyn had never told her—that Damon was Avery's biological father.That was the part Katelyn could not dismiss.She had spent eight years building a private life away from the Winchesters, and now a woman she had never invited into that life had appeared at her doorstep with pieces of information that should not have been hers to possess.She stood at the kitchen counter

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND SEVENTY-EIGHTFriday arrived sooner than Damon expected, and by the time he stepped into Bright Horizons that afternoon, he had already checked the time twice on the drive there. He had rearranged two meetings to make sure nothing could interfere with Avery's presentation. It was a small thing compared to the decisions he made every day at Winchester Enterprises, yet he had treated it with the same seriousness he would have given an important business negotiation. He had promised Avery he would try to come, and somehow that simple promise had become one of the few things he refused to compromise on. He walked through the familiar entrance with a quiet sense of anticipation, wondering if she would remember that he was supposed to be there. Then he saw her mother.Katelyn stood near one of the tables with Avery beside her, helping straighten the little girl's cardigan while listening to her excited explanation about the rocket. Damon stopped before they noticed

CHAPTER ONE HUNDRED AND EIGHTYThe next Bright Horizons event was smaller than the one where Avery had presented her rocket, which was precisely why Damon had almost decided not to attend. There was no formal presentation this time, no corporate dinner, and no reason for him to spend an entire afternoon there. Winchester Enterprises was sponsoring one of the foundation's educational programs, however, and Ethan had already informed him that his presence would be appreciated. Damon agreed without giving the decision much thought. He told himself it was business, even though he knew that explanation had stopped being entirely true.When Damon arrived, the courtyard was already busy with children moving between tables while volunteers organized games and activities. He spoke briefly with the program coordinator, reviewed a few details concerning the company's sponsorship, and was halfway through discussing the next phase of funding when he heard laughter behind him. He turned instin