One Night, Two Dads

mething solid. My fingers dug into the wood, my nails leaving faint marks. Beside me, Ethan sat like a statue, stone-faced and distant. Once, his prese

er words final and unyielding. "The divorce is hereby fin

reed from the agony of a broken marriage, but all I could feel was the gnawing ache in my chest. Betrayed. Broken. F

ave. I remained seated, unable to move, numb to it all. I couldn't even look at him. I couldn't bear it

rever, I turned and walked out of the courtroom. My heels clicked loudly against the marble floor, echoing through the vast, emp

the relief was fleeting. What now? How was I supposed to rebuild after everything I'd lost? I didn't have

ed above me, casting an ethereal glow over the crowded room. I didn't care that I didn't belong h

e mirror behind the bar caught my attention, and I almost didn't recognize the woman staring b

a long sip, the sharp taste burning my throat. It didn't

hen I no

overbearing. Dark hair, a chiseled jaw, and piercing eyes that seemed to see everything-e

to my cheeks. But when I stole another glance, he was still looking. And then he smil

through the noise, deep and sm

, forcing a small, polite

ked, his tone ge

wn at my wine glass. How could he

shrug, his expression unreadable.

your file on the table

ing with his own

I could stop it. "You're not the fir

aned in slightly. "For what

There was no pity in his voice, no judgment. Just... und

I had a very deep conversatio

ind doing

rom casual small talk to something deeper. I didn't even realize when it

put me at ease. One drink turned into another, and before I knew it, he

ss I'd been craving. For a few fleeting hours, the weight of the world lifted. Not

ugh the blinds, guilt gnawed at me. I glanced at Daniel, still asleep beside me

me. This couldn't be me. This was just a mistake, a m

e around me. The world moved on, indifferent to the chaos inside me. As I walked dow

ght. It wouldn't def