Page 100 of Accidental Doctor Daddy

“You had me, and I failed you. You deserved better than that. You both did. I botched everything back then.”

“Yeah. You did.”

We both exhaled, and our eyes met. “Funny. I think that’s the first time we’ve ever agreed about anything from back then.”

He nodded, a ghost of a smile on his face.

“There’s more. I’m leaving New York—maybe tomorrow, maybe next week. If you never want to see me again, that’s your choice. But I want you in my life, if you want the same thing.”

Leo’s eyes dropped to the floor, tension radiating from him. “So, is that it? Just ‘sorry’ and you bail?”

“I’m not bailing on you. After leaving the hospital, I have no reason to stay here—Ella’s gone, Gina doesn’t need me, and you hate me?—”

“You think I hate you?”

“Are you trying to say you don’t?”

He swallowed, tears glistening. “I’m…I’m tired of hating you. But I can’t just forget everything.”

“I’m not asking you to forget. Or even fully forgive. I’ll never be able to do that for myself, so how could I ask that of you? But we can move forward.”

“Jesus, Dom, you’re asking a fucking lot.”

Hearing him call me by my name instead of Dad was another knife twist, but I bit it back. “I love you and Gina. I just…messed it all up.”

He looked ready to argue, but the tension drained from his shoulders. Slowly, he turned away, dropping onto a paint-stained couch. “What future do we even have?”

I approached, sinking onto the edge of the battered coffee table. “One where we’re not strangers. Where I check in on you, and you don’t slam the door in my face.”

He gave a watery scoff, swiping at his eyes. “That’s a low bar.”

“We can start low.”

For a long moment, we sat in silence, the gritty loft air feeling thick. Then Leo exhaled shakily, glancing at me. “It sucks that you’re leaving, but I guess…if that’s what you need to do…”

“I can’t stay here. Too many memories.”

He swallowed, a single tear slipping down his cheek. Then, so quietly I almost missed it, he murmured, “I…I don’t hate you, Dad. Not anymore.”

The word dad cracked something inside me, tears I’d held back surging. I reached out, and to my shock, he let me hug him. We clung to each other in the musty loft, father and son trying to rebuild a bond shattered by years of grief and anger.

Eventually, we pulled apart, both wiping our eyes. The gloom of the loft seemed less oppressive. I stood, exhaling unsteadily. “I’ll let you breathe,” I murmured. “But call me anytime, okay? And I’ll text you when I figure out where I’m going.”

“All right,” he said softly, glancing away. “Dom—Dad. Be safe.”

A lump rose in my throat. I gave him a final pat on the shoulder, then headed out, leaving behind the echoes of so many regrets. Outside, the city’s neon glow felt harsh, but my step was a fraction lighter.

Dad.

At least he and Gina still acknowledged me. Marissa and Summer? Would they ever get the chance?

My chest remained hollow, the sting of Ella’s absence gnawing at me. Maybe I’d prove her wrong, track her down eventually. Or maybe, if she truly wanted me out of her life, I’d respect that. The thought crushed me, but I had no fight left in me.

Starting the car, I stared at the flickering city lights, mind swirling with memories of her eyes, her laugh, the twins’ soft coos. I resigned from the hospital, made amends with Leo—sort of. That left me…nowhere, standing at the edge of an unknown future.

But for the first time in ages, I felt a strange clarity. I’d learned the hard way that life was too short, that burying guilt in ambition only led to missed chances. If Ella left to spare me from scandal or to chase her own dreams, I couldn’t fix it by lingering here.

If fate was kind, maybe it’d lead me back to her someday.

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