Chained by our past

Chapter 6

The soft hum of classical music filled the air as Isla Calloway stood in her sleek, modern kitchen, staring blankly at the untouched cup of coffee in her hands. It had been sitting there for the past ten minutes, cooling with every passing second, just like the numbness creeping through her chest.

Today was the day.

Lucas was coming to meet Leo.

Her fingers curled around the ceramic mug as she tried to keep her breathing steady. No amount of preparation could make this feel normal. It wasn’t. Nothing about this was normal.

For four years, Leo had been her world. Just hers. No outside interference, no tangled complications, no unanswered questions about why he didn’t have a father.

And now?

Now, Lucas Reyes was about to walk through her front door and change everything.

A soft voice broke through her thoughts.

"Mama?"

Isla turned to see Leo standing in the doorway, rubbing his sleepy eyes. His dark curls were a mess from sleep, his tiny feet padding across the hardwood floor as he came to her side. She knelt down, brushing his hair back with gentle fingers.

"Good morning, sweetheart," she said, forcing a small smile.

Leo yawned. "Why are you up so early?"

Because today, you’re meeting your father.

She swallowed the words. How was she supposed to explain this? How did she tell her son that the man he had met at the gala, the one who looked like him, was more than just a stranger?

Leo blinked up at her with Lucas’s eyes. "Are we doing something fun today?"

Her throat tightened. "Yes, baby. Someone special is coming over to meet you."

Leo perked up. "Who?"

Isla exhaled slowly. "Do you remember the man from the party? The one who talked to you?"

Leo’s brows furrowed in thought before his face lit up. "The one with my eyes?"

Her heart lurched.

"Yes," she said gently. "His name is Lucas, and…" She hesitated, then finally said the words she had been dreading. "He’s your father."

Leo’s face scrunched up, not with sadness or fear but curiosity. "My daddy?"

Isla nodded. "Yes, sweetheart. He didn’t know about you before, but now he does, and he wants to meet you."

Leo studied her for a moment, then asked, "Is he nice?"

The question punched through her ribs.

She thought of Lucas’s sharp gaze at the gala, the fury in his voice at her office, the cold determination in his threats. But she also thought of the way his expression had softened when he looked at Leo, the way his voice had changed when he crouched to his son’s level.

She smoothed a hand down Leo’s curls. "I think… he’s trying to be."

Leo nodded solemnly, as if processing something far beyond his years. "Okay."

And just like that, her four-year-old handled this better than she did.

At exactly 10:00 AM, the sharp sound of knuckles against wood echoed through the penthouse.

Isla’s stomach tightened.

She glanced down at Leo, who stood at her side, his tiny fingers curled into her sweater. He wasn’t nervous—just curious.

But she was.

With one last breath, she opened the door.

And there he was.

Lucas Reyes.

Dressed in dark jeans and a crisp button-down, he looked effortlessly composed, but Isla could see it—the tightness in his jaw, the tension in his shoulders, the way his fingers flexed at his sides.

His eyes immediately found Leo.

For a moment, Lucas didn’t move. Didn’t speak.

Then, in a breathless whisper, he said, "Hey, kid."

Leo tilted his head. "Hi."

Another beat of silence.

Lucas looked wrecked.

Isla hadn’t been prepared for this. She had seen Lucas angry, furious, determined—but this?

This was a man seeing his son for the first time and realizing what he had missed.

Leo blinked up at him. "Are you really my daddy?"

Lucas let out a slow breath, crouching down to his level.

"Yeah," he said, his voice rough. "I am."

Leo studied him. "You don’t look like a daddy."

A flicker of something like amusement crossed Lucas’s face, but his eyes were still filled with something deeper. "What do daddies look like?"

Leo thought about it, then shrugged. "I don’t know. Like superheroes?"

Lucas’s breath hitched.

Isla’s heart ached.

"I don’t know if I’m a superhero," Lucas said after a pause, his voice quieter now. "But I’d really like to get to know you, if that’s okay."

Leo stared at him for another second, then asked, "Do you like dinosaurs?"

Lucas blinked. "What?"

"Daddy daddies know about dinosaurs," Leo said matter-of-factly. "I like T-Rexes. What’s your favorite?"

For the first time since he had arrived, Lucas smiled. A real one.

"Velociraptors," he answered.

Leo’s face lit up. "Really?! Me too! Mama says they’re sneaky and smart!"

Lucas’s eyes flickered to Isla. "She’s not wrong."

For the first time since he had walked in, Isla relaxed—just slightly.

Because for all the tension, for all the past, Lucas wasn’t a stranger to Leo anymore.

And maybe, just maybe, this wouldn’t be a disaster after all.

The morning went by in a strange, fragile balance.

Lucas sat on the floor with Leo, listening to him talk about dinosaurs, school, and his favorite cartoons. Isla stayed in the background, watching, analyzing.

But then, as Leo ran to grab a toy, Lucas spoke—low, firm.

"You should have told me, Isla."

She tensed.

Lucas’s gaze was no longer soft. It was sharp.

"Four years," he said, his voice like gravel. "Four years of his life that I’ll never get back."

Isla swallowed. "I did what I thought was right."

Lucas leaned in slightly. "Did you? Or were you just scared of what would happen if I came back?"

The truth lodged itself in her throat.

Because, deep down, she knew—he wasn’t entirely wrong.

Before she could respond, Leo ran back into the room, holding a toy dinosaur.

"Look, Daddy!" he said, beaming.

Lucas froze.

That was the first time Leo had said it.

Daddy.

His breath caught, his fingers tightening for a fraction of a second before he smiled. "That’s a good one, kid."

Isla watched it happen—the shift.

Leo had already started letting Lucas in.

And now, she had no choice but to do the same.