It had been months since that fleeting night—one that was supposed to be nothing more than an escape from the world. You didn’t even know his name. Just a man with a voice like gravel and eyes that saw right through you. A man who made you feel safe, even if it was just for a night.

But now? Safe was the last thing you felt.

You glanced down at the growing curve of your stomach, the evidence of that night staring back at you every time you passed a mirror. What would you even say to him if he found you? “Hey, remember me? The one who bolted before dawn? Surprise—you’re about to be a dad.”

You shook your head, running a hand through your hair. It didn’t matter. He wouldn’t find you. He couldn’t find you. You’d left that life behind, buried it under layers of anonymity and distance.

Until the knock on the door came.

It wasn’t just a knock. It was deliberate. Firm. The kind of knock that sent your heart racing because you already knew who was on the other side.

When you opened it, there he stood. The same man—taller than you remembered, broader, and with that same piercing gaze. Except now, he wasn’t looking through you. He was looking at you.

“Thought you could just disappear, did you?” he said, his voice low but unmistakably edged with something... raw.

You swallowed hard, your hand instinctively resting on your stomach as his eyes darted downward. His gaze softened, but the tension didn’t leave his shoulders.

“We need to talk,” he said, and it wasn’t a request.

And just like that, the fragile world you’d built for yourself started to crack.