Calliope’s sudden question stumped Celine for a second, leaving her caught completely off guard.
For a few years, they had lived a quiet and peaceful life in Europe, where Calliope had little reason to interact with other children or strangers who might bring up things about families, fathers, and the concept of parents being together. The subject of her father had simply never been part of their daily lives.
Or perhaps it was because Calliope had always been too young to wonder about it, too innocent to notice what she was missing. Celine had given her everything she needed—her love, her care, her guidance. She had filled both roles, acting as both mother and father, protecting her from the cruel questions that might have otherwise arisen if they had lived a different kind of life.
But
