The air shifted around them, quieter somehow, tender. Elise realized that what she’d mistaken for danger had been the quiet agony of a girl carrying two loves, one mistake, and the crushing uncertainty of what it meant for her child.
Elise reached across the table, her voice low but steady. “You’re not alone, Olivia,” she said. “Some secrets are not worth keeping, and truth can heal. For your peace and your baby’s, find out. Do a paternity test when you’re ready. You’ll find the clarity you seek. And then you can decide.”