Some days felt harder than others.
Today was one of those days.
Markus sat behind his desk staring at paperwork he hadn’t actually read in the last ten minutes. The reports were important. Patrol updates. Trade agreements. Border security reports.
Normally he could focus on all of it without effort.
Today his mind kept drifting elsewhere.
To six children.
To a woman who refused to forgive him.
To a family he had lost before he even knew they existed.
With a frustrated sigh, he pushed the documents aside and rubbed a hand over his face.
The last few weeks had been brutal.
Every attempt to get closer to the children seemed to end in disappointment.
The gifts had been returned.
Most of the letters had gone unanswered.
Kai still looked at him as if he were a stranger.
Sometimes e
