“Lily,” I whispered, pulling back slightly so I could meet her gaze. “I will always come back for you, my little star. You’re my world, and nothing will change that.”

It was a promise I would engrave in my soul, a vow as sacred as the ones I was about to exchange with Claire. But Lily’s fear was palpable, a shadow that lingered despite my words. She had lost so much, her mother taken too soon, leaving a void that ached with the passing days. Now, the thought of sharing her father with someone new was a storm of uncertainty and dread.