Daniel held his ground. “Your mom never told me. I didn’t even know she was pregnant when she left. I’m not trying to take anything from you. Or from Mark. But I need to know.” Lucas’s voice was low but trembling. “So everything I thought I knew about my family… might be fake?” Daniel shook his head. “No. Not fake. But maybe… incomplete.”
Lucas stared at him, breathing shallow. “I have to talk to my dad.” Daniel took a step forward. “Lucas—” But Lucas pulled away. “Don’t.” And just like that, he turned and walked off down the path, gravel crunching underfoot, each step faster than the last. Emilia called out softly, but he didn’t look back.