Ariella's vision swam as she looked down at the man lying on her doorstep.
Her father.
The man who had disappeared for years, the one who left the night her mother was killed, was now bleeding at her feet.
Leo sprang into action, lifting him inside while shouting instructions to Carter, who was already dialing for help.
Ariella stood rooted. frozen.
She couldn't breathe.
She couldn't think.
All she could do was stare.
This was real.
This was happening.
Leo placed the man on the couch and quickly examined his injuries. Blood had soaked through his shirt, revealing a gunshot wound on his side. His face showed signs of weariness, but his eyes opened just enough to connect with hers.
"Isabelle…" he murmured, his voice weak.
Ariella felt the air leave her lungs.
Hearing that name—her true name—from him, the father she had never known, made it all too real.
She dropped to her knees, hands shaking as she reached for him. "It's you…"
