Her lips began to tremble, and then she dissolved into tears. “You are my Daddy! You are!”

Her wailing drew the attention of everyone around. Shoppers slowed to watch, curiosity piqued by the scene.

Colleen finally caught up, but stopped in her tracks at what she saw. Holding her breath, she watched in silence.

A look of discomfort passed over Eric’s face. He hated being at the center of a crowd like this.

“I’m really not your father.” His words came out firmer this time. His hand tightened just a bit on Joy’s arm as he tried to end the mix-up. “Let go, kid!”

Eric’s patience wore thin. His headache pulsed stronger as he forced Joy’s hands away from his leg.

A sharp cry escaped Joy, her sobs bouncing off the mall’s polished floors.

“Joy!” Colleen hurried over and gathered the girl into her embrace. Shooting Eric a cold look, she braced herself for an argument.

“Can someone tell me what’s going on?” Hadley’s voice cut through the tension. Both Colleen and Joy turned toward her.

Just a few minutes earlier, Hadley had stepped out of the ladies’ room and caught sight of Colleen sprinting as if she were chasing Joy. Hadley had no idea what was going on.

Still, something in her gut told her to run after Colleen without asking questions. She hadn’t reached them yet when she noticed a thick crowd gathering around Colleen and Joy near the center of the mall.

When she finally got close, she found the two of them buried beneath a mass of curious onlookers. The noise of the crowd made it hard to hear, but Joy’s cries still cut through the chaos.

“Excuse me!” With panic tightening her chest, Hadley began to shove her way through. “Please move! My daughter’s in there!”

Once she broke through to the middle, she found Joy sobbing while Colleen held her close. “Joy?”

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“Mommy!” Without hesitation, Joy rushed into Hadley’s arms, her face crumpled with emotion.

Lowering herself to the floor, Hadley wrapped Joy in a protective hug. “What happened?”

Through her sobs, Joy lifted a trembling finger. “Daddy won’t talk to me!” she said, pointing straight at Eric.

At the sound of Joy’s voice, Hadley turned her head and followed the small hand pointing upward.

Her body froze the moment her eyes landed on him.

There stood Eric, eyes slightly cast down, cloaked in a stillness that felt distant and cold.

Bumping into him here hadn’t crossed her mind.

Even so, she wasn’t truly surprised that he had nothing to say to Joy. A father who could stay away for five long months without checking in on his daughter had already made his choice.

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