Everyone’s eyes follow her gaze.
“What the—” Gabriel hisses.
His eyes go to my sister sitting silently on the sofa, her eyes cold and hard, locked on the man in the doorway. The only outward signs she’s affected is the tightness of her expression and the rapid rise and fall of her chest.
“Zach?”
Caleb’s voice is incredulous as he says his name, breaking the spell.
Caleb’s eyes flick between Zach and my sister. Their relationship may have been over for the past three years, but they were together on and off for twelve. Casually at first, but they lived together for seven of those years.
Darra gets up and moves towards Zach. She touches his arm, but he shrugs her off.
“No,” is all he says.
She looks taken aback by his rebuke.
I would laugh at her expression if it wasn’t for the severity of the situation.
His eyes meet mine. They’re filled with acceptance but also an underlying strength.
Lottie’s eyes move between everyone. A sadness fills them. I give her a squeeze, my arm still around her shoulder.
She looks up at me. “I’m sorry, Dad,” she says. “I didn’t mean for this to happen.”
I turn her to face me, cupping her face.
“Listen to me. You have every right to know who your biological father is. I just wish you’d spoken to me. You scared me, princess. You going missing?—”
She throws herself forward and into my arms. Her heaving sobs, heavy against my heart.
I move us towards the sofa and sit down, pulling her onto my knee and cradling her against my chest as I did when she was a little girl. Whatever happens, she’ll always be my little girl. No one can take away our past.
I whisper soothing words until her tears subside.
Pen appears with a box of tissues. Handing them to Lottie, offering her a reassuring smile. I take her hand and give it a gentle squeeze in thanks.
“Didn’t take you long,” Darra hisses. “I should have guessed.”
The venom in her tone is unmistakable. Pen freezes but ignores her, instead offering Lottie another smile.
“You just couldn’t wait. As soon as I was out of the equation, you moved yourself in. You always wanted what wasn’t yours.”
Pen straightens and turns towards Darra.
“Elijah doesn’t belong to anyone. He’s an amazing man and father,” Pen says.
“He’s a broken workaholic. Good luck to you. You’re welcome to my sloppy seconds,” she spits.
Pen bites her lip, her eyes flicking to mine. I let her know it’s okay. Pen likes to fight her own battles, and somehow, I think this has been a long time coming.
“By all accounts, you broke your relationship, not Elijah. Why did you ever think a marriage based on a lie was going to work?”
Darra straightens her shoulders.
“It wasn’t supposed to be a lie. If it hadn’t been for you, Lottie would have been Elijah’s biological daughter, but he spurned me, broke our engagement.”
Eyes turn to me.
