Rafael didn't flinch. "Yeah. I do."
Ethan's fists clenched slightly. Not from anger just ache.
"She will never love you back," he said.
"I know but she's figuring things out," Rafael said. "And whatever she chooses… I'll stand by it."
The implication was clear: Even if she doesn't choose me.
That silence again, heavy as thunderclouds.
"I messed up," Ethan said. "I know that."
Rafael looked him dead in the eyes. "Yeah. You did."
"But I'm still their father and she is still my wife."
"And no one's trying to take that from you, for the wife part I'm not too sure"
Ethan blinked as the words caught him off guard. "You're not gonna fight me?"
Rafael tilted his head. "This isn't about me proving who's better for her. I'm not in competition with you, Ethan. I'm just… here. Showing up. Being steady. Loving her the way she should've been loved all along."
The truth cut sharp. But it wasn't meant to wound—it was meant to wake.
