Chapter 56

OLIVIA'S POV I didn't flinch when Dominic asked. I didn't hesitate. I looked him right in the eyes and shut him down. "No," I said flatly, my voice devoid of emotion. "The children aren't yours." The lie left my lips like ice—sharp, cold, and deliberate. But the pain that followed... it wasn't the kind of sting you get from telling a lie. It was the kind of pain you feel when you speak a truth that cuts too close to the bone. Because the truth was—it wasn't entirely a lie. Dominic might have been their biological father, but that didn't make him their father. Not truly. Not where it counted. A father was not just the donor of a cell. A father wasn't defined by biology, blood, or the fact that his name sit on a certificate. A real father was there. Present. Protective. Gentle. Fierce. Involved. A real father was someone who stood beside the mother, especially when her legs were shaking and her soul was breaking under the weight of raising children alone. My children didn't know his voic