Lucy whimpered against his chest, her tiny fingers trembling as they clutched his shirt. Her big, innocent eyes were wide with confusion and fear. "Daddy… what's wrong with her?" Her voice was small, hesitant, as if afraid of the answer. "Why did she just faint like that?"
Christopher couldn't answer. His mind was in overdrive. His entire body was tense with anxiety. Was he scared? Yes. Terrified.
Regret twisted inside him like a knife.
He never meant to hurt her.
He never meant for her to find out this way.
His jaw clenched, and he ran a hand through his hair, his fingers pulling at the strands as frustration and guilt tangled together. He should have told her. He should have prepared her for the truth, for the brutality of it, for the damage he had already done.
But he hadn't. And
