And there was you, a child who needed me.
But how could I be a father when I could barely keep myself alive?
I couldn’t feed you. I couldn’t take care of you. I was drowning in grief, crying too much to see the path forward.
I told Lee to take you, to raise you as his own. But he refused.
“No,” he told me. “You have to keep going. You have a daughter. And she needs you very much.”
And then—he told me the truth.
“Alina was a time traveler,” he said.
I was stunned.
I had spent many nights wondering, questioning, and aching for answers. But nothing could have prepared me for those words.
I swore that night that I would find her killer.
I dedicated my life to destroying the darkness that took her from us.
Tears blurred my vision. My chest heaved with quiet sobs, my fingers clutching the letter so tightly it wrinkled in my grasp.
Papa… he’d been hunting the darkness all this time.
A protective surge tore through me. He was too fragile to take on Balthazar. He didn’t stand a chance.
Roman’s warm palm glided over my shoulder, grounding me. “Are you okay?”.
I couldn’t speak. There was too much inside me, a dam threatening to burst. Instead, I nodded, though it did nothing to stop the tears that spilled freely down my cheeks.
I forced myself to keep reading.
Lee told me Alina had an affair with a madman.
I wish she had told me the truth.
Now, I want to be part of this fight. I believe we all have a role to play.
A choked sob stuck in my throat.
I pressed the back of my hand to my mouth, trying to hold it.
When I met Roman, I was stunned. Imagine my shock when a towering gladiator of a man appearedin my home.
I could almost hear Papa laughing; his smile was so vivid in my mind that it ached.
I’m so glad you’re with him. You’re well-matched now, with a man worthy of your heart.
I enjoyed him. Truly.
Knowing you’re with someone strong, someone who will never betray you, lets me breathe easier.
I love you, sweetheart, and I know you are strong.
Stronger than Alina ever was.
You’re fiercer, bolder, and I know you can defeat Balthazar.
