Isabel froze, her mouth dry. Her fingers tightened around the kids’ hands, but her voice wouldn’t come out. Isaac stared at her, his jaw hard, eyes searching her face like he was trying to make sense of what he just heard.
He took a slow step closer, his chest still rising fast. “I asked a question,” he said, his tone low but sharp. “Did that girl just call you mommy?”
Her heart pounded so hard she thought it might break through her chest. She pulled the kids behind her, shaking her head as if that could erase what had happened. He looked half-wild, panicked but trying not to show it.
“Isaac, please,” she said quietly, her voice trembling.
He stepped closer, the air between them thick. “Answer me,” he said again. “Is she your daughter?”
She pressed her lips together, trying to breathe
