Caspian's Point of View
The police arrive in minutes, swarming the rooftop like angry bees.
I hold Aurora tight while Thessaly wraps her arms around both of us. The little girl is shaking, crying into my shoulder.
"It's okay, sweetheart," I whisper. "You're safe now."
"The bad lady—" Aurora hiccups. "She said you were my papa. She said she was my mama. But she was so mean."
My heart breaks. "We'll talk about it later. When you're ready."
Elowen sits on the ground where she fell after pushing Lydia. Her hands are covered in blood from gripping the roof edge. Her eyes are empty.
A police officer approaches her. "Ma'am, I need you to come with me."
"I killed her." Elowen's voice is flat. "I pushed her off the roof. I killed Lydia."
"Elowen, don't say anything!" Thessaly calls out. "Wait for a lawyer!"
But Elowen just stares at her bloody hands. "She was going to drop that little girl. I couldn't—I saw her fingers loosening. She was really going to do it."
The officer helps Elowen stand. "You need to come to the station."
"Am I under arrest?"
"We need your statement. About what happened here."
They lead Elowen away. She doesn't look back.
Thessaly watches her sister go with an expression I can't read. Pain? Relief? Guilt?
"I need to go with her," Thessaly says quietly.
"No." I adjust Aurora in my arms. "You need to stay with me and Aurora. Elowen has parents. Let them handle it."
"She just saved your daughter's life."
"I know. And I'm grateful. But Aurora needs you right now." I look down at the little girl clinging to me. "She needs both of us."
Thessaly's expression softens. She reaches out and strokes Aurora's blonde curls. "You're right."
Detective Morrison appears. "Mr. Holt. We need to discuss what happened here."
"My daughter was kidnapped and held at rooftop. Lydia Thorne threatened to kill her. Elowen Crane intervened." I keep my voice calm despite the rage burning in my chest. "That's what happened."
"Multiple witnesses confirm that account." Morrison looks at Aurora. "The child should be examined by paramedics. Make sure she's not injured."
"No!" Aurora grips me tighter. "Don't let them take me!"
"I'm not letting you go anywhere, sweetheart. But we need to make sure you're okay." I look at Morrison. "Can the paramedics check her while she's with me?"
He nods and gestures to the EMTs.
They're gentle with Aurora, checking her over while she sits in my lap. No injuries. Just scared.
"She's fine physically," the EMT says. "But she should see a counselor. That was traumatic."
"I'll make sure she gets whatever help she needs."
Thessaly kneels beside us. "Aurora, do you remember me? From this morning at the lake?"
Aurora peeks out from my shoulder. "You were with the nice man. Are you nice too?"
"I try to be." Thessaly smiles gently. "I'm Thessaly. And the nice man is Caspian. We're married."
"Like mama and papa were?" Aurora's voice is small.
"Like that, yes."
"But the mean lady said my real papa was him." She looks at me with those ice-blue eyes that mirror mine. "Is that true? Are you my papa?"
The question breaks me.
"Yes," I whisper. "I'm your papa. I didn't know about you until yesterday. Your mama—Lydia—she kept you a secret from me. But I'm here now. And I'm never letting you go."
Aurora studies my face. "Do you love me?"
"More than anything in the world."
"Even though you just met me?"
"Especially because I just met you. I've missed seven years with you, Aurora. I'm not missing another day."
She thinks about this. Then: "Okay. You can be my papa."
Thessaly laughs through tears. I pull both of them close.
Morrison clears his throat. "Mr. Holt, we need to discuss custody arrangements. Aurora was living with Petra Crane under fraudulent pretenses. Child services will need to get involved."
"No." The word comes out harsh. "Aurora stays with me. I'm her father. I have rights."
"You'll need to prove paternity—"
"DNA test. Today. Whatever you need." I stand up, still holding Aurora. "But she's not going into the system. She's coming home with me."
Morrison looks like he wants to argue. Then he sees my face and thinks better of it.
"I'll expedite the DNA test. But until then, Aurora needs a temporary guardian. Someone the court approves."
"What about me?" Thessaly steps forward. "I'm Caspian's wife. That makes me Aurora's stepmother, legally."
Morrison considers this. "That could work. If Mrs. Holt agrees to be temporary guardian while we sort out custody—"
"I agree," Thessaly says immediately.
Aurora looks between us. "You're going to take care of me? Both of you?"
"Both of us," I confirm.
"Okay." She relaxes against me. "I'm tired."
We take Aurora to the penthouse. She falls asleep in the car, exhausted from terror and tears.
I carry her to the guest room, lay her on the bed. Thessaly finds clean pajamas somehow—probably Vesper's work.
"She looks like you," Thessaly says softly as we watch Aurora sleep.
"She has Lydia's smile. But yeah. The eyes are mine."
"What happens now?"
"Now I become a father." I run a hand through my hair. "I have no idea how to do that."
"You already are one. You held her. Comforted her. Told her you loved her." Thessaly touches my arm. "That's what fathers do."
"What if I mess it up? What if I'm like my father, cold and distant and—"
"You're nothing like your father. Your father wouldn't have spent seven years thinking he killed someone and carrying that guilt. Wouldn't have proposed to a stranger to save her. Wouldn't have held a scared little girl and promised to protect her." Thessaly turns me to face her. "You're a good man, Caspian. You're going to be a good father."
I want to believe her.
My phone rings. Vesper.
"The press is going insane. Lydia Thorne dead. Elowen Crane in custody. You with a secret daughter." She sounds tired. "We need to make a statement."
"Tomorrow. Tonight, I'm with Aurora."
"Understood. But Caspian, there's something else." Vesper pauses. "Lydia's body. The coroner just called. She's not dead."
The world stops.
"What?"
"She landed on a construction awning two floors down. Broke both legs, fractured spine, massive internal injuries. But she's alive." Vesper's voice is grim. "She's in surgery now. And if she survives, she's going to tell her version of what happened on that roof."
I look at the little girl sleeping peacefully, finally safe.
"She can't have Aurora," I say flatly. "I don't care if she survives. She's never getting near my daughter again."
"That might not be your choice. If Lydia lives, she can fight for custody. Claim she was trying to save Aurora from you when Elowen attacked her."
"That's insane!"
"That's her pattern. Lie, manipulate, twist the truth." Vesper sighs. "We need to be ready for anything."
I hang up and look at Thessaly. "Lydia's alive."
Her face goes pale. "How?"
"Construction awning. She's in surgery." I sit down heavily. "If she survives, this isn't over."
"Then we make sure she can't hurt Aurora again. Legally, physically, whatever it takes." Thessaly's voice is fierce. "That little girl has been through enough."
We sit in silence, watching Aurora sleep.
My daughter. Mine.
And I'll burn down the world before I let Lydia take her from me.
Around midnight, Thessaly's phone rings. Her mother.
She ignores it.
It rings again. And again.
Finally, she answers. "What?"
Her mother's voice is sharp enough I can hear it. "Elowen is in jail because of you! Because you married that monster!"
"Elowen is in custody because she pushed someone off a roof."
"To save a child! To save your husband's daughter!" Her mother is screaming now. "And now the police are saying she might be charged with attempted murder!"
"Lydia's alive?" Thessaly looks at me. I nod.
"Yes, she's alive. No thanks to your sister." Her mother's voice turns cold. "I'm calling to tell you that you're no longer part of this family. You've chosen that man over your own blood. Over Elowen."
"Elowen chose to save an innocent child. I'm proud of her."
"You're dead to me, Thessaly. To all of us. Don't come to Elowen's hearing. Don't contact us. You're not a Crane anymore."
The line goes dead.
Thessaly stares at her phone. "She disowned me."
"I'm sorry."
"I'm not." She sets the phone down. "I chose the right side. Finally."
We sit together in the dark, watching over Aurora.
My phone buzzes. A text from an unknown number.
You think you won? You think Aurora is safe? Look closer, Caspian. Look at what you're really holding.
Below is a photo. Of Aurora sleeping.
Taken from inside the penthouse.
Someone is here. In my home. Watching us.
Right now.
I stand up slowly, every muscle tensed.
"Caspian?" Thessaly sees my face. "What's wrong?"
I show her the phone.
Her eyes go wide with terror.
"Someone's in the apartment," I whisper.
A door creaks open down the hall.
Footsteps. Coming closer.
I move in front of Aurora's bed, ready to fight.
The door to the guest room opens.
A figure stands in the doorway. Backlit. Face in shadow.
Then they step forward into the light.
It's my grandmother. Margot Holt.
Who is supposed to be in the hospital on her deathbed.
Standing perfectly healthy in my penthouse at midnight.
"Hello, Caspian," she says with a smile that doesn't reach her eyes. "We need to talk about your new family."