David walked into the house before the night was fully dark. The city lights blinked outside, but inside the rooms were quiet and warm. He had not wanted to go home now — not after Hannah's words — but he had nowhere else to be.
Victoria met him in the hallway. She saw his face first: pale, tight, like a man who had run through fire and come out burned. She waited a beat, then asked quietly, "Did something happen at the office? You look… upset."
David forced a smile that did not reach his eyes. He put his keys on the table and tried to fold himself back into the life he had built—papers, meetings, small polite lies. "Nothing," he said too quickly. "Just a long day."
Victoria watched him carefully. She had seen him change since the little girl arrived. Tonight his voice trembled. She stepped closer. "Are you sure? You can tell me."
For a moment David looked at her as if the words might fall out. Then he pushed the thought away and nodded. "I'm fine. Really.
Victoria nodded. She poured herself a cup of tea and then picked up a magazine from the table. She glanced at David but said nothing further. She had no idea what had happened at the office.
David moved to the sitting room, opened the drawer for his phone, and quietly called his driver. "Check the house cameras. Watch the car routes. If anyone suspicious comes near, let me know. And keep this private," he said.
"Yes, sir," the driver replied.
He hung up and sat at the dining table, staring at the papers from the hospital that would make Felicity's birth official. He had signed the forms and paid to rush the certificate. Soon it would be official — and no one could challenge it. Yet the thought of Hannah's anger and determination burned in his mind.
Victoria set her tea down on the table and looked at him briefly. "You look tired. Are you really okay?" she asked softly.
"I'm fine," David replied. He drank a sip of tea, but his mind was elsewhere, planning, calculating.
Victoria moved toward the children's room to check on Isabelle and Felicity. The girls were asleep, small and quiet under their blankets. Victoria smoothed Felicity's blanket and watched her for a moment. She felt nothing unusual, only the regular concern any parent would feel. She did not know the child had been stolen from another woman, and she certainly did not know about Hannah.
David stayed at the dining table, thinking. He checked the clock, thinking about the next day, the hospital, and the forms. He considered what steps to take to protect the child — and to protect himself from any interference.
The house was quiet, but David's mind raced. He could not sleep yet. Outside, the city moved on, oblivious. Inside, he sat in silence, planning, worrying, and thinking over the child who slept peacefully in the next room — a child who he knew belonged to a woman he betrayed, yet was now tied to his life.
Victoria went back to her bedroom, closing the door gently behind her. She had no idea the storm that had raged at the office that day. She only knew that David had returned home safe and that the children were asleep.
David also went to the bedroom finally he leaned back on the pillow, taking a deep breath. He had kept the secret, as he always did, but the threat of Hannah's anger lingered in the shadows of his mind. He stared at the ceiling, plotting, calculating, and preparing for what must come next.
The morning sun filtered softly through the curtains. David woke up earlier than usual. The house was quiet; Isabelle was still asleep in her bed, and Felicity lay beside her, small and peaceful under her blanket.
David walked quietly into the room. He did not want to wake anyone, but he needed to see the child. He sat gently on the edge of the bed next to Felicity.
For a moment, he just watched her sleep, her tiny chest rising and falling steadily. Her small hands twitched slightly, and her soft hair fell across her forehead. David reached out carefully, brushing her hair away from her face. He began to play with her hair, twisting and untangling it with care, as though each strand held a secret he could not speak.
His mind, however, was elsewhere. Thoughts of Hannah filled his head. The woman's face, her voice, the way she had accused him — it all returned with sharp clarity. Why now? Why she showed up after all this time? he thought. And yet… the child is hers. She has every right to be angry. Every right to want her back.
He looked down at Felicity, feeling a strange mix of tenderness and unease. The girl was innocent, completely unaware of the storm around her. David gently adjusted her blanket, making sure she was comfortable.
He stayed there for a long time, his fingers moving through her hair, silently thinking. The quiet morning was filled only with the sound of small breaths and the distant hum of the city waking outside.
David whispered under his breath, almost to himself, "You don't deserve this, little one… but neither do I."
Felicity stirred slightly but did not wake. David continued to sit by her, lost in thought, planning, worrying, and feeling the heavy weight of what was to come.
After spending some quiet time with Felicity, David finally stood up and straightened his clothes. The morning sun had grown brighter, and the house was slowly coming to life. He made his way downstairs, careful not to wake Isabelle or Felicity.
He grabbed his bag and keys, checking once more that all was in order. His mind was heavy with thoughts of Hannah — the accusations, the anger, the threats — but he pushed them aside. Today had a clear purpose: the hospital.
The drive to the hospital was short, but David's mind raced. He rehearsed what he would say, how he would handle the officials, how he would make everything official. Every turn in the city streets reminded him of the steps he had already taken — the papers, the payments, the forms he had signed.
At the hospital, he walked confidently to the reception desk. The clerk recognized him from before and nodded politely. "Good morning, Mr. David. The documents are ready. You're here for the birth certificate of Felicity?"
"Yes," David replied smoothly, keeping his tone calm and controlled. "I need to take the official copy today."
The clerk handed him a sealed envelope with the certificate inside. David held it carefully, feeling the weight of the paper more than its size. This small piece of paper made the child officially his in the eyes of the law — even though the girl belonged to Hannah.
He signed a few forms quickly and thanked the clerk, leaving the hospital with precise steps, calm breathing, and a mind already planning the next moves. Every thought circled back to Hannah and the child: She doesn't know yet. She cannot interfere… not today.
Back in the car, David held the envelope securely on his lap, his gaze fixed on the city ahead. The certificate was more than a document. It was a shield, a claim, a way to control what had spiraled into chaos.
By the time he reached the office, David was already thinking ahead: the certificates filed, the legal cover ready, and the child — Felicity — officially recorded. Nothing would undo it now. Nothing… except Hannah.
And in his mind, that name lingered longer than he wanted.