The words were spoken softly, but they carried immense weight. Niki froze. Danielle froze. She turned to look at Alexander, her eyes wide with shock. She never imagined he would say something like that to Niki at a moment like this.
Niki’s eyes instantly lit up with an incredulous joy. After a long moment, she took a deep breath and said with a bright smile, “Dad, let me show you my room. I have lots of toys I want you to see.”
“Okay,” Alexander smiled, letting Niki take his hand and lead him to her room.
Danielle watched them go, a gentle warmth filling her heart. She stood up and staggered toward the bathroom. After washing up, her dizziness had eased slightly, but she still felt drowsy.
When Alexander and Niki came out of the room, they saw Danielle standing at her bedroom door, looking pale. “Mommy, you should go to sleep,” Niki said, running over to take her hand and guide her toward the bedroom.
Alexander followed, watching as Danielle lay down. He tucked her in and said softly, “Get some rest. I’m heading out now.”
“Okay,” Danielle nodded. Looking into his eyes, she whispered, “Thank you.”
Alexander smiled without a word, then turned and led Niki quietly out of the bedroom, closing the door behind them.
Niki looked up at Alexander and whispered, “Dad, will you come back tomorrow?”
“I will,” Alexander nodded. “I’ll come see you then.”
“Okay!” Niki beamed, watching him leave.
As Alexander drove away from the residential complex, the night had grown deep. He stared at the passing city lights, his mind a swirl of complex emotions. Tonight, he had finally spoken his heart to Niki and shown Danielle his true feelings. But he didn’t know if Danielle could truly let go of the past and accept him again. He needed her to understand everything about him, to weigh the pros and cons, before she made her choice.
A warm current flowed through Danielle’s heart. She thought for a moment and said, “I’m free. I just need to get ready.”
“Good. I’ll have Nash there in half an hour.”
After hanging up, Danielle’s mind was in turmoil. She went to her closet, chose a comfortable yet chic outfit, and applied some light makeup to hide her fatigue.
Half an hour later, Nash called to say he was downstairs. Danielle grabbed her bag just as Niki was waiting for Calvin to arrive for her lesson.
“Mommy, where are you going?” Niki asked.
“Mommy has to go to the hospital to see aunt Rebecca,” Danielle said with a smile. “I’ll bring you back a treat tonight.”

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