The Message

Emily's hands trembled as she clutched her phone, staring at the message from Aiden. For days, she had focused on settling Zephyr back into their routine, trying to forget the unsettling encounter at the airport. Yet, this simple, four-word message unraveled all the composure she had painstakingly built.

We need to talk.

Blunt. Uncompromising. No hint of his intentions. Emily's mind spun with questions. Why now? Was he finally acknowledging Zephyr as his daughter? Did he want to make amends? Or was this just another attempt to throw money at a problem he didn't want to face?

A part of her wanted to ignore the message, to delete it and pretend it never existed. She had built a life without Aiden Baker, and she and Zephyr were doing just fine. But another part of her—the one that still remembered the warmth of his touch, the rare moments of vulnerability he had shown—hesitated. Something about this felt different. Maybe it was the tone, or maybe it was the fact that, for the first time, he was reaching out instead of walking away.

A small tug on her sleeve pulled her from her thoughts. "Mommy, can I have a snack?"

Emily looked down at Zephyr, her daughter’s innocent eyes full of expectation. A soothing reminder of what truly mattered. Smiling, she knelt to meet her gaze. "Of course, baby. What would you like?"

As she prepared a plate of crackers and cheese, her thoughts wandered back to Aiden. She replayed their encounter at the airport—the way his face had paled when Zephyr called him *Daddy.* That single word had carried the weight of three years of unspoken truths and unanswered questions.

Her emotions were a tangled mess—anger, hurt, and a flicker of hope she desperately tried to suppress. She had spent years resenting Aiden for abandoning her when she needed him most. Yet seeing him again had stirred something unexpected. Was it the longing for closure? Or was it the foolish hope that he could still be the man she once believed he was?

Zephyr’s giggles broke her reverie. "Mommy, you put too much cheese!"

Emily laughed, shaking her head. "I thought you loved cheese!" She handed the plate to Zephyr, watching as her daughter skipped off to the living room. The sight was a balm to her frayed nerves, but it couldn't silence the questions buzzing in her mind.

What did Aiden want? And why now, after all this time?

As the afternoon wore on, an uneasy feeling settled over her. Aiden wasn’t going to disappear this time. That much was clear. And ignoring him wouldn’t make the past go away.

Later that evening, after tucking Zephyr into bed, Emily finally found the courage to respond. Sitting on the edge of her mattress, she stared at her phone, her fingers hovering over the keyboard.

I’m willing to meet with you, she typed, her heart pounding with every word. *But I need to know what this is about. What do you want to talk about?*

Her finger hovered over the send button. Was she making a mistake? What if this opened a door she couldn’t close? Taking a deep breath, she pressed send.

The rest of the evening passed in a blur. She tried to distract herself with household tasks, but her thoughts kept circling back to Aiden. What was his endgame? Did he want custody? Did Joan, his cunning and manipulative wife, know about this?

Joan. The thought of her made Emily’s stomach churn. She had done her research on Aiden’s family after Zephyr was born, and Joan's reputation preceded her. Ruthless, ambitious, fiercely territorial—Joan was everything Emily had hoped to avoid. If Aiden was reaching out now, was it because Joan had finally learned about Zephyr?

A sudden buzz jolted her from her thoughts. Her breath hitched as she saw Aiden’s name flash on the screen.

I want to talk about Zephyr, the message read. *And about us. Can we meet tomorrow?*

Emily’s heart pounded. He wasn’t beating around the bush anymore. He wanted to talk about Zephyr, and—more alarmingly—he had included *us.* What did that even mean?

Biting her lip, she typed her response. Tomorrow is fine. But I need to know where and when. And I need you to promise me that you’ll be honest with me.

She hit send before she could second-guess herself. The message felt both firm and vulnerable, capturing the storm inside her.

As she set her phone down, exhaustion swept over her. Tomorrow loomed like a question mark—an unknown that both terrified and intrigued her. She had spent years building a life for herself and Zephyr, free from Aiden’s influence. And now, with a few simple words, he threatened to shatter the stability she had fought so hard to create.

She crawled into bed, pulling the covers up to her chin. The soft hum of the night surrounded her, but sleep remained elusive. What would he say tomorrow? Would he admit his mistakes? Would he try to buy her forgiveness with money or empty promises?

More than anything, she worried about Zephyr. Her daughter deserved the world, and Emily had vowed to protect her from the chaos of Aiden’s life. If he wanted to be involved, he would have to prove himself. She wouldn’t let him waltz in and out of their lives at his convenience.

As her eyes drifted closed, Emily made a silent promise to herself. No matter what happened tomorrow, she would stand her ground. For Zephyr. For herself.

The soft glow of her phone blinked in the darkness, a silent reminder that the past was never truly behind her.