Lena's POV
The school gym smelled faintly of tempera paint and floor polish. Paper lanterns hung from the rafters, each one painted my tiny hands; messy and cute. The low hum of parents chatting filled the air, broken ever so often by bursts of laughter from children darting between tables.
Lena firmly gripped the strap of her purse as she scanned the crowd.
She had told him not to come, almost texted "never mind". But when Eliana had asked her this morning if Dominic would be there, her eyes bright with hope, Lena hadn't been able to say no.
And now, he was here.
Dominic stood by the refreshment table,gone was the tailored suit instead he wore a dark jean jacket over an opened-collared shirt, looking like he wandered into the wrong universe- except he did not look uncomfortable. He was talking to one of the teachers, nodding as if he was discussing boardroom strategies instead of preschool art.
A few mothers were already looking at him over their paper cups of juice,whispering to each other.
Of course they were.
Lena's pulse picked up as his gaze found hers across the room. He smiled - not the polished, press- photo smile she remembered, but something softer. Something real. And just for a dangerous moment she almost smiled back.
She told herself it was just relief. Relief that he'd shown up on time. Relief that he hadn't caused a scene. Relief that he was keeping his distance.
Except he wasn't. He started moving toward her.
Dominic's POV
She had almost smiled at him.
Dominic caught the flicker of it before she dropped her gaze and busied herself with the display of finger paintings on the wall.
He had been in hundreds of rooms like this before — loud, chaotic, full of strangers — but never as himself. There was always a title attached: CEO. Black Enterprises. The man in charge.
Here, he was just Eliana's father. Or trying to be.
And it mattered more than any meeting he'd ever taken.
Eliana spotted him then, her wild curls bouncing as she ran across the gym. "Dominic! You came!"
He crouched to meet her at eye level. "Of course I came. You told me you had something to show me."
She grabbed his hand without hesitation and pulled him toward the far wall where her artwork hung. Her small fingers curled around his, warm and certain, as if they'd been holding his hand her whole life.
Lena's POV
She watched them from a few steps away, her throat tightening.
Eliana was chattering, pointing to a crayon-scribbled lion wearing a crown. Dominic listened like it was the most important presentation he'd ever heard. He even asked questions, nodding solemnly at her answers.
No one watching would think they'd met only once. Lena should have been happy for her daughter.
She was.
So why did she feel like the ground was shifting under her feet?
When another mother sidled up beside her, whispering, "Is that your husband?" Lena's chest tightened.
"Ex," she replied quickly.
The woman's eyes widened in interest. "Well, if you ever change your mind, I think half the women here would volunteer to be his next wife."
Lena forced a thin smile and turned back toward Eliana and Dominic, ignoring the flare of irritation she couldn't quite explain.
Dominic's POV
The lion was crooked, the colors outside the lines — and it was perfect.
"She said it's our family lion," Eliana explained. "Because lions take care of their cubs."
Dominic swallowed hard. "They do," he said quietly. "They always do."
He glanced over his shoulder then, finding Lena watching him. Her eyes softened — just for a heartbeat — before she turned away.
But that heartbeat was enough. That heartbeat gave him hope.
He wanted to go to her. Wanted to tell her that he wasn't the man she remembered, that he wouldn't walk away this time. But he knew better than to rush a wounded animal — and right now, Lena's trust was exactly that: fragile and easily spooked.
Lena's POV
After the showcase, parents and kids spilled into the hallway.
Dominic walked beside her, Eliana skipping between them, holding both their hands.
It looked… normal. Dangerously normal.
When they reached the exit, Dominic hesitated. "Thank you for letting me come."
Lena nodded, her voice caught somewhere between you're welcome and don't get used to it.
In the end, she said nothing.
Because a part of her — a small, traitorous part — already wanted to see him at the next one.
He opened his mouth like he wanted to add something, thought about it before he simply gave her the faintest nod before stepping away.
Lena watched him go, the rain blurring his outline. And for the first time in five years, she wasn't sure if keeping her distance was strength… or fear.