The night air was crisp against Emma's skin as she stepped out of the gallery, her heels clicking against the pavement.
She didn't stop walking, didn't slow down. She just needed to get away. Away from the crowd, away from the whispers, away from the heavy weight pressing down on her chest.
Ivy was right behind her, calling her name, but Emma barely heard her. The only thing echoing in her mind was that name—Dawn.
Alex's supposed daughter.
Emma sucked in a shaky breath, her mind still reeling from everything that had just unfolded. Her birthday, which had started as a beautiful, joyous evening, had turned into something she could never have imagined.
A child.
Not just a child but a child with another woman.
Even though Alex had denied it, and even though she believed him, there was still something about it that left her shaken. Not because she thought he was lying, but because of what it meant.
Alex had been with other women.
