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77- Dance instructor

Author: Hayley
last update Last Updated: 2025-03-20 07:20:26

AUDREY

I blinked.

The words had left Michell’s lips so effortlessly, like he hadn’t just shattered an entire perception I’d unknowingly built.

Amelia is not my daughter.

Silence stretched between us, heavy and suffocating.

I should say something. Anything. But my mind was stuck in place, still catching up with the weight of that confession.

Michell didn’t look at me. He simply sat there, fingers tapping against the table, his expression unreadable. Maybe he regretted saying it. Maybe he didn’t.

I cleared my throat, forcing my voice into something steady. “You must really love her then.”

That made him pause.

His fingers stilled. His gaze finally lifted to mine, and for a brief second, something flickered in his eyes—something guarded, but deep. “I do.”

No hesitation. No second-guessing. Just quiet certainty.

I exhaled, my shoulders loosening. “That’s what matters.”

Michell studied me, like he was expecting something else—a different reaction, maybe. But what else wa
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