“Do you still want a boy more than us?”
That question broke every adult present.
Daniel knelt in front of her.
“No.”
“Really?”
“Really.”
“But you have Lucas now.”
“I do.”
“And the baby?”
“The baby is Lucas’s child.”
Grace frowned.
“So you’re a grandpa?”
Daniel almost smiled.
“Apparently.”
She giggled.
“You’re old.”
Emily tried not to laugh.
Failed.
And somehow, in that ordinary ridiculous moment, tension loosened.
Not forgiveness.
Not yet.
But a doorway.
Daniel visited every month after that.
Sometimes for two days.
Sometimes three.
He attended school events by video when he couldn’t travel.
He called when he said he would.
He learned that reliability is built from boring promises kept repeatedly.
Meanwhile, the financial dispute exploded.
Charles’s attorneys initially fought everything.
Then Patricia provided records.
Thousands of pages.
Transfers.
Internal emails.
Hidden agreements.
Proof.
The evidence was overwhelming.
No dramatic courtroom spectacle followed.
