Caspian's Point of View
I stare at the birth certificate in Thessaly's shaking hands.
A daughter. Seven years old.
Mine.
"I don't—" My voice won't work. "I never knew."
Thessaly looks at me with horror and sympathy mixed together. "You had a child with Lydia and she never told you?"
"She was pregnant when she left." My mind races backward. "She complained about feeling sick. Tired. I thought it was stress. I didn't realize—"
My legs give out. I sink onto the couch.
I have a daughter. Seven years old. And I've never met her.
Thessaly's father clears his throat. "Her name is Aurora. Lydia brought her to us three years ago when she faked her death. Said the child would be safer with family."
"Where is she?" I stand up fast. "Where's my daughter?"
"With your mother's sister. Petra's been raising her." He looks uncomfortable. "We told Aurora her parents died. She doesn't know either of you are alive."
"You let my daughter think I'm dead?" Rage fills me. "You had my child for three years and never told me?"
"Lydia made us promise—"
"Lydia is a murderer!" I'm shouting. "She killed someone! And you trusted her?"
Thessaly steps between us. "Stop. Yelling doesn't help Aurora."
She's right. I force myself to breathe.
"Why tell us now?" Thessaly asks her father.
He looks old. Tired. "Because Lydia's back. And she wants Aurora. Plans to take her and disappear again."
"Over my dead body," I say quietly.
"That might be arranged." He pulls out more papers. "Lydia's building a custody case. Documentation showing you're violent, unstable, dangerous. The Thomas Holt incident, the marriage allegations. She'll use it to get full custody."
"She abandoned Aurora for three years!"
"She'll claim she was hiding. That she gave the child to family for safety while running from you." He hands me papers. "She's already filed. Court date is in two weeks."
My hands shake. Lydia's built a perfect case. Every lie designed to paint me as a monster.
"Can I see her?" My voice breaks. "Aurora. Can I see my daughter?"
He hesitates. "Petra has her at the country house. But if Lydia finds out—"
"I don't care." I grab my car keys. "That's my daughter."
"Wait." Thessaly catches my arm. "If Lydia's watching, she can use it against you. Say you're stalking the child."
"So what do I do? Let Lydia steal her?"
"No. You plan." Thessaly looks at her father. "Can you arrange a meeting? Somewhere private?"
He nods. "The country house has a lake. Aurora feeds the ducks every morning at dawn. I could make sure Petra sleeps in tomorrow."
"Do it," I say.
After he leaves, I pace like a caged animal.
"Caspian." Vesper's voice cuts through my thoughts. "The custody case. Without proof Lydia's lying—"
"Find proof." I turn to her. "Whatever it takes. Hire investigators, hackers. Find something."
"Already on it." She shows her laptop. "Three investigators tracking Lydia's movements. If she's been near that woman she killed, we'll find proof."
My phone buzzes. Unknown number.
"What?" I answer.
Lydia's voice purrs. "Did you enjoy my surprise? The birth certificate?"
"You kept my daughter from me."
"I saved her from you. You ruin everything." Her voice hardens. "After the custody hearing, she'll be safe with me. Far away. Forever."
"I'll fight you."
"With what? Your reputation is destroyed. Your marriage is a sham." She laughs. "You've already lost."
The line goes dead.
I throw the phone. It shatters.
Thessaly picks up the pieces. "We'll fix this."
"How?"
"She has lies. Lies have cracks." She grabs my hand. "We find them."
At 5 AM, Thessaly and I drive to the country house. We park out of sight.
Dawn breaks pink and gold. Everything is quiet.
Then I see her.
A little girl with blonde curls and my ice-blue eyes walks to the lake. Rain boots. Bag of bread for ducks.
My daughter.
Aurora.
I can't breathe.
She's beautiful. Perfect. Mine.
"Go," Thessaly whispers. "Before someone sees."
I walk toward the lake on shaking legs. Aurora doesn't notice at first. She's throwing bread, laughing.
"You have to share!" she tells the ducks seriously.
My heart breaks.
"They don't seem very good at sharing," I say quietly.
She spins around. Then smiles. "No, they're kind of mean. But I love them anyway."
Up close, she's even more perfect.
"I'm Caspian."
"I'm Aurora." She tilts her head. "Are you lost?"
"I used to know your mother. A long time ago."
Her smile fades. "My mama and papa died. In a car accident. When I was four."
The lie cuts deep. "I'm sorry."
"It's okay. Aunt Petra takes care of me." She looks at the lake. "Sometimes I wish I could remember them better."
I kneel down. "What would you ask them? If they were here?"
She thinks. "I'd ask if they loved me. If they wanted me. Or if I was a mistake."
My throat closes. "You weren't a mistake. I promise."
"How do you know?"
"Because any parent who saw you would know they'd been given a gift." I blink back tears. "You're not a mistake, Aurora. You're a miracle."
She stares at me with those blue eyes. "You're nice."
"Not always. But I try."
She feeds ducks. I memorize every detail.
My daughter.
"Aurora!" A voice calls. Petra. "Breakfast!"
"Coming!" She looks at me. "Will you come back? To feed the ducks?"
"If I can."
She smiles and runs.
I watch her go, heart shattering and healing.
Thessaly appears. "She's beautiful."
"She thinks I'm dead." My voice is raw.
"Not yet. But we'll fix this."
We walk to the car. I'm about to get in when I see it.
A camera. Hidden in trees. Pointed at the lake.
Where I stood with Aurora.
"Thessaly." I point. "Someone filmed us."
Her face goes pale. "Lydia."
My phone buzzes. A video file.
Footage of me and Aurora. Every word. Every moment.
Below: See you in court. This shows you stalking my daughter. I'm filing a restraining order. You'll never see Aurora again. -L
Lydia was three steps ahead.
She wanted me to find Aurora. Approach her.
Now she has evidence I'm dangerous.
"She set us up," Thessaly whispers.
My phone rings. Vesper.
"Turn on the news. Now."
I pull up a news site.
Breaking headline: BILLIONAIRE CEO CAUGHT ON CAMERA APPROACHING CHILD WITHOUT CONSENT
The video from this morning. Edited to look sinister. Me approaching Aurora alone.
No mention she's my daughter. Just me looking like a predator.
I drop the phone.
Everything. My company. My reputation. My daughter.
Gone.
"Caspian." Thessaly's voice cuts through. "Look at me."
I do.
"We're not done fighting."
"How? She destroyed everything—"
"She made one mistake." Thessaly studies the video. "The custody hearing isn't for two weeks. She released this now. Why?"
"To destroy me first."
"Or because something's about to happen she needs to stop." Thessaly's eyes narrow. "What if someone else knows she's alive?"
My phone rings.
Blocked number.
"What now?" I answer.
A man's voice. Older. Familiar.
"Mr. Holt, this is Detective Morrison. I worked your uncle Thomas's case seven years ago." He pauses. "Come to the station. Immediately. We've received new evidence about that night."
"What evidence?"
"The kind that proves Lydia Thorne's testimony was false." His voice is grim. "And the kind that proves what really happened to Thomas Holt."
The line goes dead.
I look at Thessaly.
"Thomas didn't survive that night," I whisper. "I thought he did. Police told me he recovered. But what if—"
"What if Lydia lied about that too?"
My uncle is dead.
And I might have killed him.