Chapter 156. Only Child

Tristan's POV

The knock on my office door was soft, but it might as well have been a thunderclap in the quiet. I knew it was her. I have been glancing at the clock every few minutes since Donovan told me she was on her way up. A strange mixture of anticipation and dread had been twisting in my gut for the past half hour, anticipation because I had missed her, dread because I wasn’t sure what version of her I would be facing today. That is besides all the emotions I'm facing with the case.

“Come in,” I said, my voice was lower than I intended.

The door opened, and there she was... Cris. My daughter. My only child. She stepped inside with her hurried grace, though there was a guardedness in her posture I didn’t like. Her hair was tucked behind her ears, her eyes sharp but unreadable. She was dressed in casual layers, a sweater, jeans, and boots, bu