Ethan opened the door to his home, the weight of the day’s events dragging on him like lead. He hadn’t been looking forward to returning here where everything was a constant reminder of the lies, the betrayal, and the mess his life had become. But the moment he stepped inside, a familiar little voice broke through the cloud of his thoughts.
“Daddy!”
Grace’s excited voice echoed through the hallway as she ran toward him, her arms wide open. Ethan’s heart lifted at the sight of his daughter, the one pure thing in his life that hadn’t been tainted by Tania’s lies even though she not biologically his.
“Hey, pumpkin,” Ethan greeted, kneeling down as Grace flung herself into his arms. He held her close, kissing the top of her head.
“I missed you, Daddy,” Grace said, pulling back to look at him, her big brown eyes filled with innocence and warmth. “School was okay today, but it was boring without Leo and Liam. I haven’t seen them in a while. Are they still my friends?”
Ethan stiffened slightly at the mention of Ella’s boys. Grace goes to the same school as Leo and Liam, class as Leo and Liam. With what is going on Ella will want to keep the children safe. But explaining it to Grace wasn’t easy.
“They’re still your friends, sweetheart,” Ethan said softly. “They’ve just been busy with their mom.”
“Mom says their mom is a bad lady,” Grace said, her small voice unsure.
Ethan’s heart ached at the confusion written across his daughter’s face. Tania had poisoned Grace’s perception of Ella without hesitation, and it hurt him to see how it affected her. He forced a smile, not wanting to worry his little girl. “Don’t worry about it, okay? Maybe you’ll see them soon.”
Grace smiled, satisfied for now, but before she could say more, the door to the living room swung open, and Tania walked in. She heard the tail end of the conversation, her eyes narrowing slightly as she caught Grace’s mention of Leo and Liam.
“Grace, sweetheart,” Tania said, stepping forward and pulling her daughter into a quick hug. “I hope you had a good day at school.”
“Yep! I told Daddy all about it,” Grace replied brightly, hugging her mother before turning her attention to the kitchen, “I’m going to get a snack!”
As Grace skipped away, Tania turned to Ethan, her smile turning into something more predatory as she approached him. “Long day, darling?” she asked sweetly, wrapping her arms around his waist and kissing his cheek.
Ethan stiffened slightly at the contact, his mind already clouded with thoughts of Ella and what had transpired in the past days. He forced himself to respond with mild interest, though his eyes remained hard. “Yeah, long day. Where were you?”
Tania pulled back, her eyes flashing with immediate irritation. “Where was I?” she echoed, her tone sharpening. “Why do you care where I was, Ethan? I don’t ask you about every minute of your day.”
Ethan frowned, his patience wearing thin. “I’m just asking a simple question, Tania. I haven’t seen you all day, and you’re getting defensive.”
Grace, who had just grabbed an apple from the kitchen, stood at the doorway, her small brow furrowing as she watched her parents. She didn’t like it when they fought, and even though they weren’t yelling yet, she could feel the tension rising. Quietly, she turned and walked upstairs, leaving her parents alone.
“I’m not defensive,” Tania snapped, crossing her arms. “But it seems like every time I’m out of your sight for five minutes, you start questioning me like I’m guilty of something.”
Ethan rubbed his temples. “I’m not in the mood for this right now, Tania. I just wanted to know where you were. That’s it.”
Tania glared at him. “Well, don’t. I’m not obligated to report to you every second of my day.”
“Right Ethan replied. Why did you tell Grace that Ella is bad? You are painting a bad picture of a woman she does not even know Tania, Why? “it’s none of your business”
With that, she turned on her heel and stormed out of the room, leaving Ethan standing alone, wondering just how much longer he could continue living this lie.