Rachel rushed to the door, her pulse hammering in her chest. She already knew who it was before she even looked through the peephole. Arnold stood there, just as he had before—handsome, determined, and now, more powerful than ever. His presence alone had the ability to stop her heart, to make her second-guess every decision she had made in the past few years.
Taking a deep breath, Rachel opened the door.
"Arnold," she said, her voice tight, "what are you doing here?"
Arnold didn't wait for an invitation. He stepped inside, his eyes scanning the room before landing on Rachel. "We need to talk, Rachel. About Ethan. About everything."
Rachel felt her chest tighten. "This isn't the time, Arnold. Please. We can't do this right now."
But Arnold wasn't one to back down easily. "I've waited too long for this moment," he said, his voice low and steady. "I want to know my son, Rachel. And I want him to know me."
Rachel's heart skipped a beat. This was it—the moment she had feared, the moment that could either tear everything apart or set them all free.