Fabian sat in his car outside Tania's house, watching the glow of the streetlights flicker through his windshield. His hands gripped the steering wheel tightly, knuckles white, as his mind replayed their last encounter over and over. The weight of her words pressed down on him. Grace, his daughter. He was her father, and yet Tania had made sure he had no role in her life, no connection to her. Worse, she had used that bond, that knowledge, as a weapon to control him.
How did I let it get this far?
He didn’t want to admit it, but Tania was probably right. He had ruined everything. His hesitation, his inability to pull the trigger on Ella, had sent Tania’s life into a spiral and now she had him cornered. The power she held over him, the threat to keep Grace away, was unbearable. He had fai
