The city pulsed with its usual energy, horns blaring, voices blending into a chaotic symphony, neon lights casting a soft glow against the pavement. But Max barely noticed any of it as he stepped out of the hall where the program was being hosted, everywhere felt suffocating enough already.
His mind was a storm of frustration. Vivian was back.
Six years. Six years of silence, of anger, of convincing himself he had moved on, only for her to return and shake his world like she had never left.
And Daniel? He gritted his teeth.
He wasn’t blind. He had seen the way she hugged him. The familiarity, the ease. It had burned through him like wildfire.
With a frustrated sigh, he shoved his hands into his pockets, forcing his feet forward. He had spent too long in the past already. It was time to leave it there.
But fate had other plans. A small, distressed voice reached his ears.
“Daddy?” Max’s entire body went still. The world around him faded as he slowly turned, And that was when he saw her.
A little girl, no older than six, stood near the edge of the sidewalk. She had soft, wavy brown hair that curled at the ends, a small, delicate frame, and a familiar frown that tugged at her features, one he had seen on Vivian more times than he could count.
But it was her eyes that shattered him. Because they looked exactly like his.
A deep, piercing gray. The same eyes that stared back at him in the mirror every morning.
Max’s breath caught in his throat. His chest tightened, a thousand thoughts colliding at once.
She had called him Daddy? what the hell was that?
The little girl’s lip trembled as she looked around, clearly lost. Panic flickered across her tiny face as she clutched a small stuffed rabbit to her chest.
Max didn’t think instead he moved.
Kneeling in front of her, he softened his voice. “Hey, sweetheart. Are you lost?”
The girl sniffled, nodding slowly. “I c-can’t find my mommy…”
Something fierce stirred inside him. Protectiveness. A need to keep her safe.
His throat felt dry, his heart hammering. “What’s your name, baby girl?”
The child wiped her tears with the back of her tiny hand. “Emma.”
Emma.
Max swallowed hard. He knew. God, he knew.
This little girl, this beautiful child-she felt so familiar
Everything inside him screamed confirmation, even as his mind struggled to grasp it.
His voice was thick with emotion. “Emma… where did you last see your mommy?”
Emma’s small fingers twisted in the fabric of her dress. “Inside the big building. But then I saw ice cream, and-” She hiccupped. “I didn’t mean to get lost.”
Max exhaled slowly, trying to steady himself.
He wanted to ask a million questions. He wanted to demand answers, to go to Vivian and make her explain why she had to do this.
But right now?
Right now, all that mattered was Emma.
He lifted his arms gently. “Can I carry you, sweetheart? We’ll go find Mommy together.”
Emma hesitated only a second before nodding.
The moment Max picked her up, she curled into him, her little arms wrapping around his neck as she snuggled against his chest.
Max stilled.
A lump formed in his throat as warmth spread through him.
She fit against him. Like she belonged there.
Her tiny body pressed into him, trusting, seeking comfort.
His heart clenched.
Emma let out a small sigh of relief, her body relaxing completely. “You feel nice,” she murmured sleepily.
Max closed his eyes briefly, holding her tighter.
He had spent years believing he had lost everything. But in this moment, holding this little that felt awkwardly familiar, he realized he had never been more wrong.
**____**
Vivian’s heart was racing as she pushed through the crowd.
“Emma!” she called, her voice tight with panic.
She had turned for one second, one second to check her messages, and when she looked back, Emma was gone.
Her hands trembled. She could barely breathe.
Where was she?
Her eyes darted wildly, scanning the streets, her chest constricting with each passing second.
And then- She froze.
A familiar figure stood a few feet away, tall and commanding.
Max?
Vivian’s heart stopped.
Her pulse pounded in her ears as she took in the sight before her.
Max. Holding Emma.
Her daughter was curled up in his arms, resting her head against his chest, looking utterly at peace.
Vivian couldn’t breathe.
She felt the world tilt, reality crashing over her in waves.
Max’s gaze lifted, meeting hers.
For a moment, neither of them moved.
Then, carefully, Max stepped forward.
“Vivian.”
His voice was low, steady but laced with something deeper.
Vivian’s lips parted, but no words came out.
Emma stirred at the sound of her name and lifted her head. When she saw Vivian, she beamed.
“Mommy!”
Vivian’s chest ached. “Baby-”
Max’s jaw clenched as he gently placed Emma back on the ground.
Emma ran into her arms, and Vivian hugged her tightly, inhaling the sweet scent of her daughter, trying to steady her racing heart.
When she finally looked up, Max was still there.
Still watching her.
His expression was unreadable, but his eyes, those stormy gray eyes held everything she needed to know.
Questions. Pain. Betrayal.
Vivian’s hands trembled as she held Emma closer.
Max exhaled sharply. “She called me Daddy.”
Vivian’s throat tightened. Silence stretched between them.
Finally, Max took a slow step back. His voice was quiet but firm. “I won’t do this here. Not in front of her.”
Vivian knew what he meant.
This wasn’t over. It was only the beginning.
Max turned slightly. “Goodbye, Vivian.”
No.
Something inside her snapped. She couldn’t let him go again.
Without thinking, she reached out, grabbing his wrist.
Max stilled.
The air between them shifted, thickening with something raw and dangerous.
Vivian’s pulse pounded as she stepped closer.
She shouldn’t do this.
She shouldn’t.
But she did.
She pulled him toward her, and crashed her lips against his.
Max sucked in a sharp breath, caught off guard.
Then, with a low groan, he kissed her back.
It was fire. It was fury. It was six years of pain and longing colliding into one desperate, searing moment.
Max’s arms wrapped around her, pulling her flush against him.
Vivian’s fingers tangled in his hair, gripping, needing.
His lips were rough, demanding, hungry.
He kissed her like he had waited a lifetime to do it.
And maybe he had.
Vivian whimpered as his mouth moved against hers, his hands sliding down her waist, pressing her closer, deeper.
Everything else disappeared.
The past. The pain. The betrayal.
All that existed was this.
Max.
Her.
The fire between them that had never died.
When they finally pulled apart, both were breathless.
Max’s forehead rested against hers, his hands still holding her tightly, as if letting go would break him.
Vivian’s eyes burned.
She might have made a tough decision six years ago.
But this?
This felt like the only thing that had ever been right.
Max’s voice was rough. “Tell me the truth, Vivian, Is she really Daniel’s daughter?”
She swallowed hard. This was it.
There was no running now.
With her heart pounding, she whispered “She’s yours, Max.”
His breath hitched.
And in that moment, everything seemed to come at a still.