Chapter 54

We sat there for a few minutes when my nostrils caught Aira’s scent. I turned immediately in that direction and saw her walking toward me.

Her gaze shifted from Clara, seated beside me, then back to me. It seemed she hadn’t gotten a clear look at Clara’s face yet.

But as she drew closer and her eyes settled on Clara again, I saw them widen in shock. She froze a few feet away.

“Aren’t you going to greet your child?” I asked, but she just stood there, stunned. After a moment, she finally spoke. “We should talk about this at home,” she said.

I rose from the bench and glanced down at Clara, whose eyes were still fixed on my wife, then back at Aira. “For the record, Clara will be coming with us.” She knew from the tone of my voice that when I spoke like that, my word was final.

On the outside, I may have seemed calm, but inside, I was boiling with anger—and no one could fault me for it.

Without waiting for a response, I started walking back toward the