Chapter 6 - Bloodlines and Betrayal
By 1:00 PM, the rain was pouring heavily over the estate grounds, but inside the mansion, every single fireplace had been lit, casting a golden, warm glow across the wood-paneled walls.
I stood near the front foyer, my heart hammering against my ribs harder than it ever had during a firefight.
The front doors swung open.
Grace walked in, holding a little girl wrapped in a heavy winter coat and the star-patterned cashmere blanket. Little Amara was walking right beside them, holding her mother's hand and chatting happily about the big mansion.
I dropped to my knees on the marble floor, completely unconcerned with my expensive suit or my reputation as the feared Boss of the city.
Lily looked at me with large, dark eyes—eyes that were an exact match for my own. She looked pale and small, but she was whole. She was real.
"Lily?" I whispered, my voice breaking into a tearful sob.
The little girl hesitated for a second, peering over Grace's shoulder. Then, her eyes widened as she looked at my face, a tiny spark of memory igniting in her bright gaze.
"Daddy?" she murmured softly.
"Yes, baby," I sobbed, reaching my arms out. "It's Daddy. I'm right here."
Lily let go of Grace's coat and ran forward, throwing her tiny arms around my neck with all the strength her small body possessed. I pulled her tightly against my chest, burying my face in her soft curls, weeping openly on the foyer floor as two years of agony, guilt, and cold despair washed away in an instant.
"I missed you, Daddy," Lily cried softly into my neck. "The lady said you were searching for me."
"I never stopped looking, sweetheart," I promised her, pressing kiss after kiss onto her forehead. "I will never let anyone take you away again."
Amara walked up to us, clutching her dinner roll from the night before, and tapped my shoulder gently.
"See?" Amara said proudly, turning to her mother. "I told you he wouldn't be sad if he had his little girl back!"
I let out a breathless, joyful laugh through my tears, looking up at Grace, who was standing beside us with tears streaming down her face, smiling with pure warmth.
I reached out my hand and took Grace's palm, pulling her gently down into our embrace.
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"Thank you," I whispered to her, my chest swelling with a feeling I hadn't experienced in years. "You saved my life today, Grace."
"We saved each other, Julian," Grace replied softly, her hand warm and solid in mine.
