Jess jumped in, too fast.
“He just stopped by once or twice. Lily loves visitors. You know how she is.”
“Just once or twice?” I asked, locking eyes with Adam.
“Maybe… three times,” he mumbled. “It wasn’t a big deal.”
I nodded, tapping my glass.
“Right, right. No big deal. Just a guy stopping by to see his daughter.”
The air thickened. Jess’s fork froze halfway to her mouth. Adam set down his wine with a shaking hand.
“W-What are you talking about?” Jess whispered.
I turned to Lily.
“Hey, sweetheart, who’s Adam?”
She giggled.
“He’s my real daddy!”
The silence afterward was total.
Then Jess made a strangled sound. Adam turned white!
“We were going to tell you,” he said quickly. “Eventually.”
“It never felt like the right time,” Jess added, barely audible.
I leaned back, still calm, too calm.
“When would’ve been the right time?” I asked. “After I taught her to ride a bike? After the bedtime stories and the nightmares? Or maybe at her next birthday party, when you both would’ve toasted to ‘family’?”
No one answered.
Adam stood, palms out like he was pleading.
“Look, man, I just wanted to be there for her.”
“For your daughter?” I asked. “Interesting. You mean the one I’ve been raising for five years? The one who has my name? My eyes? My routines?”
“I didn’t want to ruin everything,” Jess said, tears finally falling. “I was scared. You loved her so much, and I didn’t know how to take that away.”
“You already did,” I said. “You just didn’t admit it.”
I stood and pushed my chair back. My heart pounded in my chest, but I kept my voice even.
“You both have ten minutes. Get your things. Get out of my house.”
Jess gasped.
“You can’t just—”
“I can. And I am.”
Lily’s lip quivered.
“Daddy?”
I knelt beside her and took her hands.
“Sweetheart, listen to me. I love you. I’m not going anywhere. You’ll always have me, no matter what.”
She nodded slowly, crawling into my arms.
“Okay.”
I kissed her forehead and turned to Adam and Jessica.
“You heard me. Ten minutes.”
They left in stunned silence. Adam muttered something about being sorry. Jessica couldn’t meet my eyes. I didn’t watch them leave. I just held Lily.
The next day, I filed for divorce.
Jessica didn’t contest it. There was nothing to say.
Adam tried to call, text, and email. I blocked him everywhere.
