The first hint of trouble came on a Thursday evening that felt too ordinary.
Maya was buckling Lila into her stroller outside the visitation office, the cool spring air brushing her cheeks. The city hummed around them—horns, chatter, the rush of footsteps on concrete. She tugged Lila's blanket higher, careful to tuck it beneath her chin.
Then Damon's shadow fell across them.
"Let me," he said, his voice low.
Her head snapped up. "I don't need your help."
He crouched anyway, one big hand smoothing the blanket with surprising gentleness. Lila squealed, reaching up for his nose, and Damon bent obediently, letting her tiny hand bat at his face.
The sight stabbed something in Maya's chest. Damn it.
She straightened, folding her arms tight. "You've had your hours. It's time to go."
Damon's silver eyes lifted to hers, steady, unreadable. "Maya—"
"No." Her voice cut sharper than she intended. "Don't say my name like—like it still belongs to you."
A muscle ticked in his jaw. For a moment, she thought he'd argue, but then he only nodded and stepped back. His gaze lingered on Lila, softer than moonlight.
"See you Sunday, little wolf," he murmured.
And then he was gone, swallowed by the crowd.
Maya's heart was a wrecking drum against her ribs. She hated that part of her wanted to chase after him.
Sunday brought the storm.
The court had approved an extended visit in the park again. Keller perched on her bench, pretending to read her paperback, while Maya laid out a blanket beneath a blooming cherry tree.
Lila toddled across the grass, chasing after bubbles Ana blew from a small wand. Her giggles rang like silver bells, bright enough to draw smiles from strangers passing by.
Then Damon arrived.
No suit again. Just a dark T-shirt that clung to his shoulders, jeans worn at the knees. The sight of him made Maya's pulse stumble, which only infuriated her more.
He crouched instantly, opening his arms. Lila shrieked with joy and barreled toward him.
"Daddy!"
The word burst from her lips like a firework.
Everything froze.
Maya's lungs seized. Ana's eyes widened. Even Keller's book slipped slightly in her hand.
Damon went utterly still, as if the word had gutted him. Then, slowly, he gathered Lila into his arms. His throat worked, silver eyes blazing wet.
"Say it again," he whispered hoarsely.
Lila giggled, patting his cheek. "Daddy!"
A ragged sound tore from his chest. He pressed his face into her hair, shoulders shaking.
Maya couldn't breathe.
This wasn't supposed to happen. Lila wasn't supposed to— She was supposed to keep Damon at arm's length, just a visitor, a shadow. Not… not this.
Her chest burned. She turned sharply away, blinking hard against the hot sting in her eyes.
Ana touched her arm. "Maya…"
"Don't." Her voice cracked.
The rest of the visit was agony.
Damon barely looked at Maya, all his focus poured into their daughter. He pushed her in the swing, caught her when she stumbled, laughed when she blew raspberries in his face.
But every so often, Maya felt his gaze flicker toward her—heavy, unreadable, filled with something that scared her more than rage ever had.
Longing.
And worse, regret.
By the time the visit ended, Maya's nerves were shredded raw. She packed the blanket with trembling hands, refusing to meet Damon's eyes.
But then Keller turned to her. "You know, Ms. Blackthorn, the court will soon consider unsupervised visits. Given how well these are going."
Maya froze.
Her head snapped up, horror tightening her throat. "What?"
Keller gave a polite smile. "It's standard. Unless you raise an objection with sufficient evidence…" She trailed off, eyes flicking to Damon.
Maya's world tilted. Unsupervised? Damon, alone, with Lila? Her blood turned to ice.
"No," she whispered.
Damon's jaw tightened. "Maya—"
"No!" She rounded on him, fury boiling over. "You think because she said one word, that changes everything? That erases what you did to me?"
His eyes darkened, wolf glinting beneath. "Don't twist this. I'm fighting for her, not for myself."
"Bullshit!" Her voice shook the blossoms from the tree above them. "You don't get to pretend you're noble. You abandoned me, Damon. You abandoned us. And now you want to swoop in and play hero? No. I won't let you."
Lila whimpered at the raised voices. Damon instantly softened, rocking her gently, murmuring soothing words until her sobs faded. Then he looked at Maya, his face a storm.
"I made mistakes," he said, voice low, rough. "I will pay for them a thousand times. But don't you dare call me a stranger to my own blood."
The words cut deep. Too deep.
Maya turned away, tears burning her eyes. "You don't get to say that. Not after what you put me through."
He was silent for a long moment. Then his voice came, quiet, almost breaking.
"You're right. I don't deserve her. Or you. But I'm not walking away again."
Maya's breath caught.
She hated him. God, she hated him.
So why did part of her want to believe him?
That night, she couldn't sleep.
Lila's soft snores filled the apartment, Ana long since gone home. But Maya lay awake, staring at the ceiling, Damon's words echoing in her skull.
I'm not walking away again.
She rolled onto her side, fists tight in the sheets.
"Liar," she whispered into the dark. "You always walk away."
But even as she said it, a traitorous part of her wondered—just once—what if he didn't?