Page 15

Melissa

December 12, 2024, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

“Tell me how you felt when you first learned about Danika.”

Dante took in a deep breath and slowly let it out.

“I was angry at Danny,” he started. “When I shared with him what I had gone through at the Trick Pony, I made him promise me he would let it go. That he wouldn’t go after the Trick Pony. But he did it anyway, and I left him. I kicked him out of my apartment and ended things with him.”

Interrupting Dante now with a question would do the opposite of what I needed from him. He had to tell me everything. Get all the information out so he could then deal with his guilt and shame. Only then would he be able to become the father Danika needed.

The truth was, Danika appeared to have very little trauma. She was hesitant with others, but she had connected with both Dante and Danny in a way that was unprecedented. It was as if she knew they were her family and accepted them without reservation.

“I told you I run a tech company. I had been doing some intel for a client, and what I didn’t know was that the client had also asked Danny for help. When the client showed up with a flash drive, I didn’t think anything of it, just put it into my computer. Only it wasn’t just the information we had been looking for.”

I watched as Dante’s demeanor changed in an instant. His eyes became glassy and vacant, like he was back in that time when he first found out.

“My heart hammered in my chest, and my hands shook, while I sat frozen, staring blankly at the computer screen. By ignoring my request, his investigation into the Trick Pony led to an unexpected discovery. Danny’s disregard for my privacy led me to the revelation that there was a piece of me out there. A daughter I never would have known had he not had a deep-seated need to learn everything. I didn’t want to acknowledge my time at the Trick Pony. The things that were done to me and the things I was forced to do were too much, and I buried them deep, desiring to never think about them again. Only now that wasn’t an option. There was a little girl who looked exactly like me, hidden away somewhere. Someone who was blameless and deserved to be loved and protected. I needed Danny to find her. And I needed Danny to help me raise her. My guilt and shame had made me angry at the one person whose only desire was to protect me. To seek vengeance for me and what I had been forced to endure. My brother knew what had happened, and while he had to do his own unthinkable acts to rescue me, he didn’t avenge me. He made no attempt to take down the people who had hurt us both. Danny vowed to do just that. I went to him and begged him to forgive me. Begged him to help me find my daughter. Begged him to never let me go.”

“It’s ok to be angry.”

“It wasn’t. He wasn’t trying to hurt me,” he insisted.

“Dante, emotions are something we use to process our trauma. Emotions are not bad. They all have a place. Even anger. Holding onto that anger and not forgiving are what destroy relationships. It is unrealistic to believe you should never get angry.”

Dante needed to understand that his feelings were justified. Even if they were misplaced and directed at the wrong person, he was still entitled to feel them.

“How did Danny react when you went back to him?”

Dante smiled, and if I had to guess, they made up rather quickly in a carnal way.

“He forgave me.”

I smiled back, letting him know I understood what he didn’t need to say.

“How did you find her?” I asked.

“Danny found her. He’s good at what he does.”

It was clear Dante didn’t want to talk about how they found Danika, or where. Letting that go for now, I inquired, “Tell me about the first time you met Danika.”

“I had seen pictures of her. I knew what she looked like. How much she looked like me. The blonde hair, the light brown eyes. But the anticipation of seeing her for the first time—when I could reach out and touch her, hold her in my arms—was terrifying, yet all I wanted. And when my eyes finally landed on her perfect, tiny form, my heart shattered into a million pieces. She was the most beautiful person I had ever seen. I hesitated, lost in her gaze as we stared at each other. The truth of Danny’s discovery stared back at me and all I felt was warmth. She was the sunshine that I hadn’t realized was missing from my life.”

As I listened to Dante talk about his daughter with tears streaming down his face, I was lost in the adoration he had for his little girl. A little girl he only just learned about. A little girl that he loved so much at first sight he was willing to give up everything for her.

I thought about my parents. Who refused to give up anything for their children. Then I thought about my brother. Who gave up everything for his little sister. Including the relationship we could have had. I knew Michael loved me. He’d explained why he had to walk away.

But I hated him for it.

Bringing my attention back to Dante, I asked, “How did she respond to you when you met her?”

As a child psychologist, I worked with children. However, with Danika being so young, much of the first few weeks would be spent learning everything I could about what she had been through. How she responded to her fathers and others. It was all information I needed to come up with a plan for Danika’s future therapy.

“She came to me willingly. She was so starved for attention, I think she would have gone to anyone. One of the men who helped us rescue her held her before I did, and she was snuggled into him like she had known him forever.”

“Does that upset you? That you weren’t the first to hold her?”

“It did at first. But once she was in my arms, nothing else mattered anymore. How I felt, what I wanted. Everything became about her in an instant. It was like that for Danny, too. He will burn the world down so Danika and I are safe.”