Ethan opened the door to his home, the weight of the day’s events dragging on him like lead. He hadn’t been looking forward to returning here where everything was a constant reminder of the lies, the betrayal, and the mess his life had become. But the moment he stepped inside, a familiar little voice broke through the cloud of his thoughts.
“Daddy!”
Grace’s excited voice echoed through the hallway as she ran toward him, her arms wide open. Ethan’s heart lifted at the sight of his daughter, the one pure thing in his life that hadn’t been tainted by Tania’s lies even though she not biologically his.
“Hey, pumpkin,” Ethan greeted, kneeling down as Grace flung herself into his arms. He held her close, kissing the top of her head.
“I missed you, Daddy,” Grace said, pulling back to look at h
