Later that night, as Lila slept against his side, Lucas noticed a folded document slip from the handbag onto the floor. He picked it up absentmindedly, intending to return it, but froze as he read the heading.
Birth Certificate.
The names blurred before his eyes.
Child. Lila Mae Benton.
Mother. Fiona Elise Benton.
Father. Lucas Andrew Reed.
Absent at birth.
The hospital seemed to fade away as the truth settled like a crushing weight in his chest. His daughter.
Memories surged back with ruthless clarity. Fiona laughing in a tiny kitchen years ago. Fiona begging him to slow down. Fiona watching him leave for a deal that promised everything except the life they had started to build.
He had never known. A soft voice pulled him back.
“Sir,” Lila murmured, half asleep. “Will my mom be okay.”
Lucas swallowed hard and brushed hair from her face. “She will be,” he said. “I promise.”
When Fiona finally woke, pale and weak but alive, Lucas stood at her bedside, unable to look away. Her eyes filled with tears when she saw him.
“I knew you would come,” she whispered.
“I am sorry,” he said, his voice breaking. “For everything.”
She reached for his hand. “Protect her,” she said softly. “No matter what.”