Chapter 45

Chapter 45

Daniel’s pov

The door slammed shut, the sound echoing in the sudden silence of my apartment, my legs gave out. I fell to the ground, sinking onto the floorboards, my head dropping to my knees. 

The cold mask I had worn shattered as my body shook.

It was a lie, all of it, every cold word, every harsh accusation. I wanted her, I wanted her back more than I wanted my next breath. The pain was a physical ache in my chest. I had pushed her away, I had hurt her.

Why did I lie to her and now my heart ached and longed for her? I promised to be different but I did the one thing I promised to never do to her—which was to make her cry and I hated myself for it.

A hand settled on my shoulder, gentle, firm, Lila. She'd been there, watching, knowing.

"Daniel," she murmured, her voice soft, "You okay?"

I shook my head, my voice raw with emotion. "No," I choked out, "God, no. It hurts, Lila, seeing her like that. I never meant to make her cry. Now she'll see me as just another man who hurt her."

Lila squeezed my shoulder. "This was the only way, Daniel, the only way to get her to actually come back and choose you, to choose real. She had to understand what she stood to lose."

I wanted to believe her, I wanted to believe this agonizing pain would lead to something real, something lasting. But right now, all I felt was the sting of her tears, the hollow ache in my chest.

A sudden, sharp ring of the doorbell cut through the quiet. I flinched. Who the hell could that be. My mind immediately jumped to Zoe. Was she here to finish the job, to scold me for hurting her mother, just like Evan had no doubt twisted things.

I slowly pushed myself up, my muscles stiff. Lila looked at me, a question in her eyes. I just shook my head. I had to face it.

I walked to the door, my heart pounding a frantic rhythm. I pulled it open.

It wasn't Zoe. It was Leo.

He stood there, small in the doorway, clutching something in his hand. His face was solemn, his eyes wide and uncertain. He wasn't yelling, he wasn't angry, he just looked, sad.

"Leo?" I asked, my voice softer than I intended. The surprise was genuine.

He swallowed hard. "Hi, Daniel. I, um, got your address from Zoe and  I wanted to say sorry."

My brow furrowed. "Sorry? Sorry for what, Leo?" My mind raced. Did he know. Did Sienna tell him.

He shifted his weight, looking down at his feet. "For, for Mom. She was, she was crying. A lot. When she came home. And she was a mess. I didn't like how she was." He looked up, his eyes earnest, meeting mine. "I know you changed her, Daniel. Because she smiles more now. And I don't want her to give up on that happiness."

My chest tightened. This wasn't anger. This was a child, trying to fix something broken that he barely understood. He was apologizing for her. Sienna had really broken down. And Leo, bless his heart, was trying to put it back together, and seeing a part of me in her happiness.

My carefully constructed wall began to crack, not from Sienna's anger, but from Leo's raw honesty, from the genuine remorse in his young eyes.

"Leo," I said, my voice softer now, "Come in. Please." I stepped aside, opening the door wider.

He hesitated, then slowly walked in. As he stepped into the living room, he stopped dead. His eyes widened even further, fixed on Lila, who was now standing, her expression unreadable.

"Lila?" he blurted out, a stunned whisper. He clutched whatever was in his hand tighter.

Lila offered him a small, gentle smile. "Hello, Leo. It's been a while."

Leo just stared, his eyes darting between me and Lila, a look of complete shock on his face. The easy flow of his apology had completely vanished, replaced by sudden, wide-eyed confusion. The air crackled with unspoken questions. What was Lila doing here. Why was she with me. What did any of this mean. He was a kid, trying to understand a world that had suddenly become far too complicated.