---- Chapter 39 Liv cradled her newborn son, Finn. He was perfect, small and fragile, with a tuft of dark hair just like Michael's. The thought brought a pang, a complex mixture of sorrow and a strange, distant tenderness Her parents, Elizabeth and Mr. Hayes, beamed with pride. "He's beautiful, Liv," Elizabeth said, her eyes soft. "Absolutely beautiful." "What will you name him, darling?" Mr. Hayes asked. Liv looked down at her son. "Finn. Finn Hayes." She would give him her family's name. A name synonymous with strength, integrity, love. Not Thorne. Never Thorne. Michael, hidden in the kitchen, overheard the conversation through the partially open door as he delivered a tray of tea. Finn Hayes. The name was a fresh stab of pain, a confirmation of his permanent exile. His son would carry another man's name, or rather, his mother's maiden name, a proud lineage Michael had no part in. He had lost the right to give his child his name, his heritage. He had lost the chance for a happy family, for the simple joys ---- of fatherhood he now craved with an intensity that was agonizing. He watched, unseen, as Liv smiled down at Finn, her face alight with a fierce, maternal love. He saw the joy in Elizabeth and Mr. Hayes's faces. A perfect family picture. And he was the ghost in the background, a silent, invisible presence, his heart breaking anew. His regret was a living thing, coiling in his gut, a constant reminder of his monumental failures. But his resolve to protect them, Finn Hayes and his mother, only deepened. It was the only fatherly act he could perform.