Tyler sat in his office, the late afternoon sun casting long shadows across the polished floors. His desk was a mess of papers and files, but his focus was far from work. His fingers scrolled through his phone, revisiting the string of messages he had sent Carla. Every single one of them was left unanswered. His jaw clenched with a mixture of frustration and something softer he refused to name.

With a sigh, Tyler swiped over to his gallery. There, among countless business documents and pictures from events, were the few photos he had of Carla and her baby—Dom. One in particular caught his eye: Dom, with his wide, innocent...