EMILY’S POV
Larkin was taken aback as Lilac turned to look at me and called me "mommy". I knew that no matter how much I tried to deny it or spin lies, it was undeniable that he was Lilac's father. They shared a striking resemblance, and I knew that they both felt the pull of their bloodline.
Fate seemed to have a grudge against me as it refused to align with my plans. I had kept my daughter locked up in our home and didn't let her out to Old Wood Hill, but why did her father's path still cross with hers? It never occurred to me that Larkin would muster up the courage to come here, as I had believed he couldn't face the guilt of my mother's death.
I knew that he blamed himself for dragging my family into the feud between him and Conrad. That was why he let me go. In fact, he had even gi
