Chapter 690 You can’t do this, daddy! I don’t want to see him!

“Sweetheart, I need to go see Ravyn. And I’m going with Espe.”

Voren’s voice was soft against Seraphine’s ear, his breath warm on her skin. She gave him a nod of approval, her expression unreadable. What they had promised Ravyn, they had to oblige. A deal was a deal, even when it cut like a blade.

But Voren was stunned.

He had expected her to want to accompany him. To stand beside him as they navigated the delicate minefield of introducing Esperanza to the man who had once ordered for her death. He searched her face, looking for something. Hurt. Longing. Anything.

“Aren’t you coming?”

“For what?” Seraphine’s voice was calm, measured. “She’s your daughter. My presence isn’t needed.” Thus, she trusted Voren to handle it completely.

She paused, her gaze steady and unwavering.

“If she agrees to have him in her life, then only you will be responsible for taking her to see him. I won’t involve myself.”

Voren smiled. It was a small thing, barely a curve of his lips, but it carried the weight of understanding.

It was clear that even if they allowed Ravyn into Esperanza’s life, it would never bring Ravyn close to Seraphine. She had drawn her line in the sand, and she would not cross it.

He left for Madison’s suite to get Esperanza, his footsteps echoing through the corridors. Jasmine was busy with other matters, so Madison had taken the children for the night.

When he arrived with Esperanza at Ravyn’s suite, he sent her to the balcony and knelt beside her, his voice gentle.

“Please wait here for a second, okay? I’ll be right back.”

She nodded, her eyes bright with trust. “Okay. But why didn’t you bring Bryan too?”

Voren was about to answer when he heard the beeping sound of the code being entered. His jaw tightened.

“I’ll explain later. Just give me a second.”

He closed the door to the balcony and walked a little away from it, his heart hammering against his ribs. The door swung open, and Ravyn stepped inside.

The moment their eyes met, something flickered in Ravyn’s gaze. Hope. Desperate, aching hope.

“Voren.” His voice was rough, thick with emotion. “I can’t believe you still kept this suite for me.”

Voren shrugged, his expression guarded. “You know me. The only thing I can’t share is my woman.” His voice hardened, just slightly. “If you understand that, then we won’t have any problems.”

Ravyn’s gaze dulled instantly, the hope draining from his eyes like water from a cracked vessel. He had gotten to the point where he wouldn’t mind sharing. Where he would have accepted just a little part in Seraphine’s life.

But it was okay. “I understand.”

“The witches.” Voren’s voice hardened, businesslike. “You have to keep them close until after the coronation tomorrow. This suite remains yours, but you can’t bring them here. I’ll have someone arrange another two-bedroom suite for you.”

Ravyn was grateful that this suite was still his. The walls that held so many memories. The space that had once been his sanctuary. He inclined his head, accepting the arrangement.

“That’s fine with me.”

“Since we’re both on the same page, it’s time for you to meet my daughter.”

Ravyn froze. His emotions were a storm, churning and colliding and threatening to tear him apart. Joy. Terror. Hope. Shame. They crashed over him in waves, each one more powerful than the last.

“You mean it?”

Voren didn’t respond. He simply turned and walked toward the balcony door, his hand resting on the handle. His voice softened, carrying the warmth of a father speaking to his child.

“Espe, you know I love you, right?”

“Yes, daddy. I love you too, daddy.”

“Alright.” Voren drew a breath, steadying himself. “You remember your old daddy?”

There was a moment of silence. Then Esperanza’s expression twisted, her small face crumpling like paper. Her voice dropped, barely above a whisper.

“Yes.”

“He’s been pestering me to see you and—”

The words didn’t land. “No, no, no!”

Esperanza’s voice rose, sharp and panicked, cutting through the air like a blade.

“You can’t do this, daddy! I don’t want to see him!”

She burst into tears, the sound tearing through Voren’s chest like claws. His heart ached, a physical pain that radiated through his entire body. He lifted her into his arms, holding her tight against his chest, her small body trembling with sobs.

“Espe, daddy loves you so much.” His voice was a whisper, thick with emotion. “Old daddy knows about your existence. He thinks I’m deliberately keeping you from him.”

He stepped out of the balcony, his arms still wrapped around her, his lips pressed to her hair. But the moment Esperanza’s teary gaze landed on Ravyn, her sobs grew louder. Wilder. More desperate.

“No, daddy! I don’t want to see him!”

She clung to Voren with a ferocity that spoke of terror, her small fingers digging into his shirt as if she wanted to disappear into his skin. As if she wanted to crawl inside him and hide from the world.

“He wants me dead!” Her voice cracked, raw and broken. “So how could you bring me here? Do you not want me anymore?”

Every word she uttered pierced Ravyn like a silver blade.

He sobbed. Great, heaving sobs that tore from his chest and left him gasping for air. He couldn’t stop them. Couldn’t control them. They came like a flood, washing away every wall he had built, every defense he had erected.

He had known. He had known what he had done. He had known the pain he had caused. But hearing it from her lips. Hearing the fear in her voice. Seeing the terror in her eyes. It shattered him in ways he hadn’t thought possible.

He never expected Voren to tell Esperanza about his bad behavior. To tell her of the things he had done. But the truths that spilled from her lips were worse than anything he could have imagined.

He was in for another sorrowful surprise.