Liora felt sick. “Dashiell, you can’t—”

“I can. And I will.” He looked at her, and for a moment, his expression softened. “I don’t want to. I want to do this the easy way. You come with me. You let me be Atlas’s father. And everyone walks away intact.”

“And if I refuse?”

“Then I take you to court. Fight for full custody. And I win. Because I have unlimited resources and the biological advantage. Leander gets supervised visitation at best. You get dragged through a legal battle that destroys you both.” His voice was quiet. Certain. “Or you accept what’s been true from the beginning. You’re mine. Atlas is...