Jack’s POV
The sound of the whiskey glass shattering on the floor echoed in the room, but I barely noticed it. Rose’s voice and the name she’d uttered—Ellie Bennett—played on repeat in my head. It was the name of the little girl I’d met at the football contest. The girl with the star-shaped birthmark.
I felt the pieces falling into place, and my chest tightened with a mix of emotions: disbelief, anger, and a pang of guilt that I couldn’t quite place.
“She’s mine,” I said, my voice barely above a whisper.
“Yes,” Rose replied, her voice trembling but steady.
I turned to face her fully, my shock quickly giving way to anger. “You let me meet her,” I said, my voice sharp. “I saw her at the contest, Rose. I talked to her. I watched her play, and you didn’t think I had a right to know she wa
