He did not knock.
He stood there under the rain drumming against his umbrella, his heart pounding.
There was silence on the other end of the phone. Then Grace’s next words pierced him.
“It’s strange, you know. He doesn’t even know she is his daughter.”
Mika held his breath.
He whispered to himself, “Our daughter?”
Even the rain could not drown out that truth.
He took a step back, staggering.
Everything made sense now.
The necklace.
The little girl’s face.
What he felt when she laughed.
The pain in Grace’s eyes.
Mika had fallen in love with that little girl for weeks without understanding why.
Now he knew.
It was his blood.
And he had abandoned her before she was even born.
He could not wait any longer.
His heart pounded wildly. His shirt was soaked, but he did not care.
He pushed open the door to Grace’s hut, his chest tight, his eyes burning.
Grace rose from the floor, shocked.
“Mika—”
“Why didn’t you tell me?” he cried, his voice breaking. “Why didn’t you tell me she was mine?”
Tears ran down Grace’s cheeks as she tried to stay strong.
“Because I didn’t want your pity,” she shot back. “Because you left me once without a word. I thought you would disappear again. I thought that if I told you, you would come for her and leave all over again.”
“I didn’t know,” Mika whispered. “I didn’t know I had a daughter. But now I know, and I feel it in my soul.”
He fell to his knees. It did not matter that the floor was wet. It did not matter that Hope was watching them from behind the curtain with wide eyes.
“I love her. I want to raise her. I want to be in her life every single day.”
He looked up at Grace, his voice trembling.
“And I want you too. I don’t want to lose another day. Please… will you marry me?”
Grace covered her mouth, overwhelmed, trembling.
At that moment, Mika’s phone vibrated.
A voice message from Tiana lit up the screen.
“Mika, please, don’t make any decision before we talk. I have something important to tell you.”
He stared at the phone.
One choice would break a heart.
The other could break his.
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