Chapter 56

OLIVIA’S POV I didn’t flinch when Dominic asked. I didn’t hesitate. I looked him right in the eyes and shut him down. “No,” I said flatly, voice devoid of emotion. “The children aren’t yours.” The lie left my lips like ice—sharp, cold, and deliberate. But the pain that followed... it wasn’t the kind of sting you get from telling a lie. It was the kind of pain you feel when you speak a truth too close to the bone. Because the truth was—it wasn’t entirely a lie. Dominic may have been their biological father, but that didn’t make him their father. Not truly. Not where it counted. A father is not just the donor of a cell. A father isn’t defined by biology or blood or the fact that his name sits on a certificate. A real father is there. Present. Protective. Gentle. Fierce. Involved. A real father is someone who stands beside the mother, especially when her legs are shaking and her soul is breaking under the weight of raising children alone. My children didn’t know his voice. They didn’t kno