Chapter 50

Christopher Lawson POV

"No, Chris. I understand you perfectly." Juliet's voice trembled with heartbreak, every word laced with quiet pain. "No man would want to raise another man's child as his own. It's unfortunate, but it's the truth, isn't it?"

Her words cut deeper than I wanted to admit. I could feel the sting of her disappointment, a bitterness that I knew I deserved for the careless way I had phrased my question. Annabelle wasn't my blood, but that didn't matter to me. I didn't know much about her father or why he wasn't in the picture—and frankly, I was grateful for his absence. Because in my heart, I wanted that little girl to be mine. Blood be damned.

I stepped closer to Juliet, whose eyes were red and puffy from crying. Her vulnerability made my chest ache. "The last thing I'd ever do is separate a mother from her child. And the first t