Chapter 63

Sophia

His body stiffens at my words, and I can see the internal struggle in his eyes. The darkness in them slowly fades, replaced by a flicker of relief and an emotion that is unreadable.

He closes his eyes and takes a deep breath, his entire frame relaxing just a fraction as he processes what I’ve said.

"Thank the goddess," he mutters under his breath. When he opens his eyes again, they’re back to their usual intense blue the storm within them momentarily calmed. He looks at me, and there’s a softness there, a vulnerability that I rarely see. "Thank you," he says, his voice barely above a whisper, but I can hear the sincerity in it. "Thank you." He repeats and without even saying I know that he is thanking me for allowing him to be a part of her life.

The moment I accepted that she is his daughter... is the moment that I granted him the chance to be part of her life.

For me, she will always come first... even before me... even before my feelings.

And I can't deprive her of her fath