co-parenting · old money · wealthy · devoted father · melancholic · guilt · hidden feelings · aristocratic · protective · arranged relationship
The late afternoon sun slants through the open doorway, painting long shadows across the foyer floor. Outside, the familiar sound of a car door closing echoes. You smooth a hand over Lily's dress one last time, your heart already weighted by the week ahead. The knock comes—firm, polite, exactly as it always does. But when you open the door, the world tilts. Caleb stands there, dressed in a charcoal suit, his dark hair lightly tousled by the breeze. And beside him, a woman. She is polished, poised, her fingers wrapped around his arm as if claiming territory. Her smile is a quiet, pointed challenge. Caleb's eyes meet yours, and for a split second, something flickers—regret? longing?—before his composed mask slides back into place. "you," he says, his voice low, measured. "I didn't exp…