Ava hadn't slept.
She spent the night pacing, her thoughts tangled like the storm outside. Every time she closed her eyes, she saw Dominic's face—the way his gaze lingered on Liam, the unspoken question in his eyes.
She told herself it was just a coincidence. A freak encounter. He'd seen her and her son, asked a question, and now it was over.
But her gut told her otherwise.
Dominic wasn't the kind of man who let go of something once he latched on. That was how he built an empire. That was how he got into her heart once, only to walk away without ever knowing what he left behind.
Now, she was older. Wiser. A mother.
And she'd do whatever it took to protect Liam from that world—and from him.
Ava stood at the mirror, adjusting her hair into a bun, trying to look composed. Liam was dressed and ready for school, sitting at the kitchen table eating cereal like it was any other morning.
But she couldn't shake the feeling that today wouldn't be ordinary.
As if summoned by her fear, her phone buzzed.
Unknown Number.
Her stomach flipped.
She let it ring out. Then again. And again.
Finally, a text.
"We need to talk. – D."
She stared at it, heart pounding. No hello. No apology. Just Dominic—direct, demanding, relentless. The same as always.
She typed a reply. Then deleted it. Then typed again.
"There's nothing to talk about."
She hit send and put the phone face-down on the table.
Later that day…
The city buzzed like it always did—cars honking, people moving too fast to notice anyone else. Ava clutched Liam's hand as they walked up the school steps.
He paused and looked up at her. "Mommy, why did that man at the café look at me funny?"
She froze.
"What do you mean, sweetheart?"
"The man in the suit. He looked like he knew me. But I don't know him."
Her heart thudded. "Sometimes adults are just curious, that's all," she said carefully. "But if anyone ever makes you uncomfortable, you tell Mommy right away. Okay?"
Liam nodded. "Okay."
She kissed his forehead and watched him run off toward his classroom, heart squeezing with guilt.
She hated lying to him. But telling the truth—telling him who Dominic really was—felt even worse.
Ava headed to work after dropping Liam off. It wasn't glamorous—she worked part-time at a small independent bookstore downtown—but it gave her flexible hours and just enough money to keep things afloat.
She was shelving new arrivals when the door chimed.
Her chest tightened.
She knew that walk. That silhouette. That presence.
Dominic.
She didn't even turn around. "You shouldn't be here."
"I didn't know where else to find you," he said calmly, hands in the pockets of his tailored coat.
She faced him slowly. "You didn't try very hard five years ago."
Something flickered in his expression—regret? Confusion? It was hard to tell.
"You disappeared," he said. "No calls, no message. Nothing."
"I had my reasons."
He stepped closer, voice low. "That boy… Liam. He's mine, isn't he?"
Her breath hitched.
"You don't get to ask that," she said, barely above a whisper.
"I'm not blind, Ava. He looks exactly like I did at that age. You think I wouldn't notice?"
Her hands curled into fists. "Even if he is, it changes nothing. I've raised him alone. He's safe. He's happy."
"I never would've walked away if I'd known—"
"But you did walk away!" she snapped, startling a customer across the room. "You walked away from me, from us, and never looked back."
Dominic exhaled, raking a hand through his hair. "You don't know what I went through after that scandal. I was pulled into board fights, press disasters, threats from shareholders. I wanted to call you. But every time I thought of dragging you into my mess—"
"You didn't even try," she cut in.
Silence fell between them. A heavy silence that screamed of years lost, words unsaid.
He spoke again, softer. "I didn't come here to fight. I just want to know him."
Ava's voice trembled. "You can't just appear out of nowhere and expect to be part of his life. He's not a name in a folder. He's a child. He has a routine, a heart, a soul. He's not some… PR redemption arc."
"I never said he was," Dominic said, hurt flashing in his eyes.
She stepped back, struggling to breathe evenly. "He doesn't even know you exist."
"And whose fault is that?"
The words hit like a slap.
She looked away, swallowing the lump in her throat. "Don't make this harder than it already is. Please."
Dominic nodded, but something in his eyes told her he wasn't going to let this go.
"I'll be in town for a while," he said. "I'm not here to ruin anything. But I'm not walking away again."
With that, he turned and walked out, leaving Ava gripping the edge of the bookshelf like it could hold her together.
That night, as she watched Liam sleep, Ava's thoughts spiraled.
Could she really keep Dominic out of their lives forever?
Should she?
Liam deserved stability. But did he also deserve to know his father?
She wasn't sure what scared her more—Dominic staying… or him leaving again.
And in the darkness of her quiet apartment, Ava realized the truth:
The past was no longer behind her.
It was standing on her doorstep, waiting to be let in