Chapter 65: The Breaking Point

That evening, after settling the kids in, Lani waited for Elias to come home. She had texted him earlier, reminding him that Lily was upset and needed to talk to him.

She hoped he wouldn't come home too late.

Lily had fallen asleep on the couch, clutching her stuffed bunny tightly. Lani sighed, brushing a strand of hair from her daughter's face.

Luca sat beside her, playing on his tablet, but even he kept glancing at the clock.

Finally, close to midnight, the front door opened.

Elias stepped in, looking exhausted, his tie loosened and dark circles under his eyes.

Lani stood immediately, arms crossed. "You're late."

Elias sighed, rubbing his face. "I know. Work ran over."

Lani gestured toward Lily, still asleep. "She waited for you."

Elias's expression softened. He walked over, kneeling beside the couch. "Lily?" he whispered, gently stroking her hair.

She stirred slightly but didn't wake.

Lani exhaled. "She was really upset today, Elias. She thinks you don't have time for her anymore."

Elias's jaw tightened. "That's not true."

"I know that," Lani said, her voice softening. "But she doesn't."

Elias sighed, leaning back on his heels. "I don't know what to do, Lani. I'm trying to build a future for us. To be someone she can be proud of."

"She's already proud of you," Lani whispered. "She just wants her dad."

Luca, who had been silent, finally spoke up. "Yeah, well, she's not the only one."

Elias turned to him, surprised. "Luca…"

Luca shrugged, keeping his eyes on his screen. "I get it, Dad. You wanna work. But don't forget you have a family."

Elias stared at him, guilt hitting him hard.

Lani sat beside Elias. "We love you, Elias. We support you. But if you're never here… what's the point?"

Elias swallowed hard, looking down at his sleeping daughter.

Had he really been neglecting them that much?

He didn't have an answer.

But he knew he needed to fix this.

To be continued…