The truth hit her with a force she hadn’t expected—James, the quiet, unassuming man who had sat at her table night after night, was her father. All those nights, all those small conversations and moments of silence between them, and she had never known.
Carla stepped outside, scanning the empty street for any sign of James, but he was already gone. The cool night air pressed against her, carrying with it an unsettling silence. Her heart raced, her mind swirling with questions.