---- Chapter 26 "Ava!" The name was ripped from his throat, a raw, incredulous cry. He pulled away from Mark, taking a stumbling step forward. You froze, your eyes widening in shock. It was you. Older, a little sadder around the eyes, but it was unmistakably you Alive. Standing at the end of a hospital corridor. The little girl by your side, the one with the bright red ribbon in her hair, hid behind your leg, scared by his shout. For a moment, neither of you moved. The space between you crackled with five years of silence, of pain, of regret. He started walking toward you, slowly at first, then faster, breaking into a clumsy run. He stopped a few feet away from you, his chest heaving, his eyes drinking you in. "You're alive," he whispered, the words full of awe and disbelief. "You're really alive." You just stared at him, your face a pale, unreadable mask. You pulled the little girl closer to you, your hand resting protectively on her head. The little girl broke the silence. "Mommy," she whispered, her voice trembling. "Who is that man? He's scary." ---- Mommy. The word hit Liam like a physical blow. He looked from your face to the child's. She had your eyes. Big, expressive, brown eyes. But her hair... her hair was the same dark shade as his. Awild, impossible hope surged through him. He looked at the child's age. Four, maybe five years old. The timeline fit. It had to be. "She's..." he began, his voice shaking, "is she... is she ours, Ava? Is she our daughter?" He didn't wait for an answer. He closed the distance between you, his arms wrapping around you in a desperate, clinging embrace. He buried his face in your hair, breathing in your scent, the scent he had missed every single day for five years. "You had her," he sobbed, his body shaking with relief and a joy so fierce it was painful. "You kept her. Oh, Ava, thank you." You stood rigid in his arms, your body as unyielding as stone. Then, you pushed him away. Hard. "She is not your daughter, Liam," you said, your voice cold and sharp as broken glass. He stared at you, his joy faltering, confusion clouding his face. "What? But... she looks... the timing..." "Her name is Vanessa," you said, your voice flat and devoid of emotion. "And she is my daughter. | adopted her three years ---- ago. She has nothing to do with you." You looked him straight in the eye, your gaze unwavering. "Just like | have nothing to do with you. We are strangers, Mr. Kane." Strangers. The word was a final, brutal rejection. He had found you. But the woman he had lost was gone forever. In her place was this cool, distant woman who looked at him like he was nothing.