Chapter 6 - First Encounters
Ethan froze completely, looking as if he were terrified that a sudden movement might make Maya disappear.
He slowly dropped to one knee, ignoring the fact that his expensive suit pants were touching the floor.
"Hello," Ethan whispered, his voice incredibly soft and remarkably tender.
Maya clutched her rabbit tighter, leaning heavily against my leg for absolute security.
"You look like Leo," she stated bluntly, her big brown eyes studying his face with intense suspicion.
"I do," Ethan agreed with a small, emotional smile. "But Leo is much more handsome than I am."
A tiny, reluctant giggle escaped Maya’s lips before she managed to compose her serious expression again.
"Are you our dad?" she asked, firing the question with the blunt, brutal honesty only a child possesses.
The entire room full of high-priced lawyers suddenly went dead silent, holding their breath.
Ethan looked up at me, silently asking for permission to answer the terrifying question.
I gave him a fraction of a nod, my heart pounding painfully against my ribcage.
"Yes, Maya," Ethan said, his voice cracking with heavy emotion. "I am your dad."
Before Maya could process this massive revelation, the other three children burst into the room.
Leo, Asher, and Silas stopped in a line, creating a protective barrier between their sister and the strange man.
"We don't need a dad," Leo announced coldly, crossing his little arms in an exact mirror image of Ethan.
"Mom takes perfectly good care of us by herself."
Ethan absorbed the painful rejection without flinching, nodding his head in complete understanding.
"You are absolutely right, Leo," Ethan agreed softly, remaining on his knees to stay at their eye level.
"Your mom is a superhero, and she did an amazing job raising all of you without any help."
"I am not here to replace her, or to pretend that I haven't been gone for a very long time."
Ethan looked at each of his four children, tears freely flowing down his aristocratic face.
"I am just here to ask for a chance to know you," he pleaded openly and honestly.
Asher, always the analytical one, stepped forward and tilted his head.
"Can you build a Lego Millennium Falcon?" Asher asked, his tone deadly serious.
May you like
Ethan let out a wet, genuine laugh that instantly warmed the cold room.
"I happen to be an expert Lego architect," Ethan promised solemnly.
