Chapter 2: What Was Never Said
The man stepped forward, slowly, as if every step cost him something.
The Christmas lights flickered softly behind him, casting shifting shadows across his face. No one interrupted him. Not even the older woman.
His eyes stayed on the girl.
“I should’ve told you,” he said.
The room tightened.
The girl’s breath hitched, confused more than anything else.
The boy didn’t move, but his expression softened—like he already knew what was coming.
The older woman shook her head slightly, as if trying to reject the moment before it fully arrived.
But it did anyway.
The man exhaled, heavy and controlled.
“She is my daughter.”
The words didn’t explode.
They settled.
Quiet. Final. Unavoidable.
The girl blinked at him, frozen, as if her mind couldn’t decide whether to believe it or protect itself from it.
The ornament in her hands trembled.
May you like
The older woman took a step back.
For the first time that night, she didn’t have anything to say.
