Axel
I returned to Zoraya’s room, my heart still heavy with Melody’s words.
She had called Zoraya her daughter, and in that moment, I had seen the fierce love in her eyes—the kind of love that did not waver, did not falter.
Could I be that person for Zoraya?
Could I love her and the child growing inside her?
Could I also claim the child as mine? And treat them both right?
I didn’t have the answers, but as I stepped into the dimly lit room and saw her lying there, pale and fragile, I knew one thing for certain.
I couldn’t walk away.
Zoraya stirred as I neared her, her lashes fluttering before her eyes finally opened again.
I froze, my breath catching in my throat.
She blinked slowly, as if adjusting to the light, and then her gaze landed on me.
I had never seen such raw emotion i
