After clearing up the misunderstanding, Cassidy felt sothing in her chest begin to lift. Her body felt lighter, like a weight she hadn’t even realized she was carrying had finally been set down.
And for the first ti that night, she found the courage to ask him sothing.
"I didn’t know you had a half sister," she said quietly, a bit of curiosity in her voice.
Zeke nodded. "Before my father married Margaret, my mom, he had a wife. She died from an illness. Nicole is his daughter from that first marriage."
He paused, then continued, "Nicole cut herself off from the family years ago. My father and grandfather didn’t approve of the man she married. They tried to control her, told her who she could and couldn’t be with. But Nicole refused. She left. Chose her own path."
Cassidy exhaled slowly, her shoulders dropping a little as she took in the story. There was sothing heavy and sad about it. Sothing familiar.
Zeke leaned back slightly, his tone thoughtful. "They were furious, my dad and grandfather. They erased her from everything. Cut her out of the family assets, the company, everything."
He looked down at his hands before adding, "After Nicole left, I didn’t see her again. Not for years. But about five years ago... I ran into her by accident. At a restaurant."
His lips lifted slightly at the mory.
"She looked different. Stronger. And we talked. Since then, we’ve kept in touch."
Cassidy nodded slowly, quietly absorbing the history he’d never shared with her before.
After a brief silence, Zeke turned to her.
"Can you... tell more about Claire?" he asked quietly. "I want to know her. I want to understand who she is, not just what I missed."
Cassidy gave him a soft look. There was no hesitation this ti.
"Of course," she said gently. "Claire’s smart. Really smart. She’s curious about everything. Always asking questions, sotis too many," she added with a small smile. "She loves to learn. She’s playful, full of energy. But she also notices things... things most kids her age wouldn’t."
She glanced at her daughter lying in the hospital bed.
"She loves puzzles, stories, and science kits. She can sit for hours building things or figuring sothing out. But she also loves to dance and paint. Her imagination is wild."
Zeke listened carefully, his gaze never leaving Cassidy as she spoke. Every word filled in a blank space in his heart.
"She’s kind," Cassidy added softly. "She’s the kind of kid who’ll offer her cookie to a stranger just because they look sad. She’s brave, too. Braver than I’ll ever be."
Her voice cracked just a little at the end.
Zeke swallowed hard, emotions tightening in his chest.
"I wish I’d known her sooner," he said.
"You can still know her now," she said. "She’s still yours."
Zeke shifted his gaze to Claire. His voice was quiet, steady.
"Yeah," he said. "I’ll try to make up for the ti I lost. I’ll try to be a good friend to her... and a good dad."
His eyes lingered on Claire’s small, peaceful face.
"I just hope she wakes up soon," he added softly. "There’s so much I want to do with her. So much I’ve already missed."
Cassidy’s eyes softened at his words. For the first ti in a long while, there was no distance between them, just the shared hope for the little girl who had unknowingly brought them back to this mont.
Zeke glanced at Cassidy, noticing the exhaustion in her eyes, the way her shoulders had begun to slump, her body clearly running on empty.
"You should get so rest," he said gently. "Sleep for a bit. I’ll stay with Claire."
Cassidy looked like she wanted to protest, but the heaviness in her limbs betrayed her.
"You need it," Zeke added. "I’ll be right here. She won’t be alone."
She hesitated, then gave a small nod. "Okay. Just for a little while."
Zeke watched as she stood and moved to the extra bed near the window. She lay down slowly, pulling a light blanket over herself. Within minutes, her breathing began to slow, her body finally giving in to the exhaustion.
Zeke stood and walked to the chair beside Claire. He settled into it quietly and sat beside her, eyes fixed on her small hand and pale face.
He didn’t move. He just stayed there, watching over her.
***
Andrew walked briskly through the hospital parking area, a leather bag slung over his shoulder and a laptop case in hand. Inside the bag were the docunts Zeke had asked for, ti-sensitive files, contracts that needed signatures, and a few confidential reports.
But what kept running through Andrew’s mind wasn’t the paperwork.
It was the confusion.
Why was Zeke at the hospital? Why was Cassidy there too? And why had Zeke asked him to bring everything here, instead of the office or even his penthouse?
Sothing had happened yesterday, sothing big. And Andrew could feel it, even if no one had told him anything yet.
When he reached the hospital entrance, he pulled out his phone and called Zeke.
"I’m here," he said once the call connected.
Zeke’s voice ca through, low and even. "Co up to the VIP floor. Room 305."
Andrew nodded, even though Zeke couldn’t see him. "Got it."
He made his way to the elevator, the weight of curiosity growing heavier with every floor the numbers ticked up.
When the doors opened on the VIP floor, Andrew stepped out and approached the reception desk. A nurse behind the counter gave him a polite smile.
"Visitor log, please," she said gently.
Andrew nodded and filled out the required information, his na, ID, purpose of visit, before she handed him a visitor badge and pointed him toward Room 305.
He continued down the hall, each step echoing faintly on the polished floor. When he arrived at the door, he paused for a mont. The hallway was quiet, the air unusually still for a hospital. He took a breath, then knocked gently.
A mont later, Zeke’s voice ca from inside.
"Co in."
As Andrew stepped into the room, the first thing he saw was a small child lying weakly on the hospital bed. Her skin was pale, her fra so still beneath the covers. Sothing about her face felt oddly familiar to him, like a mory tugging at the edge of his mind, but he couldn’t quite place it.
The room was quiet, and aside from the soft beeping of machines, only Zeke was inside.
Andrew walked toward him and handed over the laptop and docunts without a word. Zeke took them with a small nod of thanks.
Andrew’s eyes flicked back to the child.
"Who is she?" he asked, voice low, cautious.
Zeke didn’t hesitate.
"My daughter."
Andrew’s eyes widened instantly, shock flashing across his face.
"Your... what?"
***
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