CHAPTER HUNDRED AND TWENTY

RICHARD’S POV

He sighed again, this time it sounded more like a groan. “Look, Richard, all I’m saying is… I want to make things right. I want to be a father to you, if you’ll let me.”

"Let me get this straight," I said, leaning back and folding my arms. "After all these years, after ignoring me, pretending I didn't exist, you want to suddenly be a father?"

He looked down at his hands, his face flushed. He looked up at me, his eyes pleading. “Give me another chance, Richard. Please.”

I held his gaze for a long moment, letting the silence stretch between us. Part of me, the angry, bitter part, wanted to tell him to shove it. To tell him he’d had his chance and blown it. But there was another part, a small, flickering part that wanted to believe him. That craved a father's love, even if it was years overdue.

"Fine," I finally said, my voice gruff. "But this doesn't change anything. We'll take it slow, one day at a time."

He beamed, his face lighting up like a kid at Christmas. “Th