"Me—Melissa..." Damian’s voice trembled, barely forming the words. He couldn’t bring himself to explain why he had just called himself Pearl’s father. His gaze held Melissa’s as if hoping to find the unspoken answer she needed. But her look, piercing and questioning, made it impossible to tell a lie.
He stammered, "I... I can ex..."
Melissa held up her hand, cutting him off gently but firmly.
“Damian,” she said, her voice soft, but firm. "I appreciate you being here for Pearl, in ways I never imagined anyone would. But please… don’t call yourself her daddy. Not yet, not in front of her. She might hold onto it and have questions about her father that I can't answer.”
Melissa let out an exhale. “You’re not… him. You're not the monster who's her biological father.”
Her eyes drifted awa
