CHAPTER 134: OPENING MY HEART

"Grandma," Zeke said softly. "Meet Claire. She’s my daughter."

The room went quiet for a moment.

"Your daughter?" Elise repeated, brows lifted. Then she smiled warmly and opened her arms. "Come here, darling. Let Grandma see you up close."

There wasn’t even a hint of doubt in her voice. She knew Zeke too well. He’d never joke about something like this. If he said the little girl in front of her was his daughter, then she believed it.

Zeke gently led Claire over to the bed.

Once Claire was sitting at the edge, Elise reached out and took her tiny hand, eyes lighting up.

"You’re beautiful. Absolutely adorable," Elise said, beaming.

Claire grinned. "You’re beautiful and adorable too, Granny Elise."

Elise let out a delighted laugh, the sound full of joy. It had been so long since someone had said something like that to her and especially not in such a sweet little voice.

Zeke suddenly remembered something and said, "My surprise isn’t over yet, Grandma. Princess, can you stay here and keep Granny company? Daddy will be right back."

Claire nodded and turned to chat with Elise, who was now fully focused on her.

"Is Daddy going to show me who your mommy is?" Elise asked in a playful whisper.

Claire’s eyes went wide. She blinked, completely shocked and surprise. "Granny Elise... how did you know?" she asked in shock.

Elise chuckled softly. "Oh, just a lucky guess," she teased, though in truth, Claire had unknowingly spilled it earlier.

Now Elise was curious. What kind of woman had made her grandson fall in love again? More than that, she wanted to thank the woman for bringing back Zeke’s smile.

A few moments later, Zeke returned with Cassidy walking beside him.

And in that instant, Elise understood everything. Of course. Of course, it was Cassidy.

That’s how Zeke had a daughter as old as Claire. That’s why he’d started smiling again. It was always Cassidy. Who else could it be?

"Cassidy, come here, girl. What took you so long to visit me?" Elise said, more teasing than upset.

"I’m sorry, Grandma," Cassidy replied softly, without offering any excuse. She didn’t really have one.

"Oh, darling, no need to apologize." Elise reached out and gently held both Cassidy’s and Claire’s hands. "By the way, thank you for the gift. I love it. It’s so beautiful."

"I’m glad you liked it, Grandma."

Elise began chatting with Cassidy and Claire. Not once did she ask where Cassidy had been all this time, or why she had kept Claire a secret and only now decided to show up. That made Cassidy feel grateful. Elise had always accepted her without judgment—and that only deepened the guilt Cassidy carried for keeping Claire’s existence hidden all these years.

They spent the day at Elise’s house until late afternoon, nearing evening. When it was finally time to leave, Elise seemed reluctant to let Claire go. Her eyes were full of affection, and her hand held tightly onto Claire’s small one, as if she wasn’t ready to let her leave.

"If you guys ever have some free time... bring her here again, will you?" she said softly, her voice a little hoarse but still as gentle as ever. "I was so happy to see her today."

Cassidy said, "Of course, Grandma. We’ll visit often."

"I’m going to miss you, Granny Elise," Claire said as she hugged Elise tightly.

"Have a safe ride, all of you," Elise said, glancing warmly at Cass, Zeke, and Claire.

Zeke gave a small nod and hugged Elise gently. "Take care, Grandma. Call me anytime if you want to talk or video chat with Claire."

They said their goodbyes and headed off.

Claire and Cass both fell asleep on the way home.

Zeke, on the other hand, kept himself busy with his iPad, responding to work emails. Still, despite his focus on the screen, a small smile never left his face the entire way home.

Once they arrived at the apartment, Zeke gently leaned over and whispered, "Cass, wake up. We’re here."

Cassidy’s eyes fluttered open. Still groggy, she looked around, then slowly stepped out of the car.

Zeke carefully unbuckled Claire from her car seat and lifted her into his arms. Together, they made their way into the building and took the elevator up to Cassidy’s floor.

As usual, Zeke laid Claire down gently in her bed. Even though she was still sleepy, Cassidy waited for him in the living room.

When he returned and saw how exhausted she looked, Zeke told her to go get some rest.

But Cassidy didn’t respond to that. Instead, she said quietly, "There’s something I want to talk about."

Zeke raised an eyebrow and said, "Okay," then took a seat on a different sofa, near Cass.

"What do you want to talk about?" he asked, curious.

Cassidy looked at him for a moment before turning her gaze to the floor. "Grandma Elise told me earlier... that ever since you and I divorced, you’ve been distant and withdrawn. And she thanked me... because now you’ve started to brighten up again." She said it quietly, hesitantly.

Then she looked at Zeke intently and added in an even softer voice, "She also told me... you nearly died two years ago from alcohol poisoning."

Zeke went silent. He hadn’t expected his grandmother to tell Cassidy that.

At first, when she heard it, Cassidy didn’t believe it. It was hard to imagine that Zeke’s emotions and behavior could change... because of her. But now, seeing the way he didn’t deny it, something heavy settled in her chest.

Zeke let out a long sigh.

He didn’t know whether he should be honest with Cassidy now or not. Because if he did, it would mean showing his heart to her. It would mean saying out loud exactly what he felt.

With both hands, he rubbed his face roughly.

If he told her the truth... would Cass be able to accept it?

Zeke looked at Cassidy closely.

When he saw the worry and care in her eyes, he made up his mind to be honest.

He just hoped she wouldn’t panic, or get scared and pull away after he opened his heart so openly.

***