Chapter One

Valentin stared at Anna, unable to comprehend her presence. Behind him, Lulu and Dante waited anxiously. Briefly glancing at them, Valentin tore his eyes back to Anna's, trying to figure a way out. To still move forward with his plans to cross to Canada with Charlotte. "What are you doing here?"

Anna's voice was firm, but gentle at the same time. "You know why we're here."

"Where's Charlotte?" Lulu's voice cut into Valentin's brain. Before he could process her question, much less answer it, Charlotte bounded in the room.

"Lulu!" Valentin could hear the surprise in his daughter's voice, tinged with happiness. Inwardly, he winced, even as he turned to watch Lulu cross to their daughter to greet her. He eyed Charlotte's face as she smiled, her stance relaxed. For the first time, he allowed Charlotte's reaction to Lulu – to her mother – to sink in.

"Valentin, you know what you need to do." Anna's quite voice shook him out of his thoughts. Turning to meet her gaze, he saw empathy there. Empathy for Charlotte, most likely, he surmised. But yes, he knew.

"Papa?"

Looking down into the innocent blue eyes of his blond haired daughter, Valentin melted. Kneeling, he took Charlotte's hands gently in his. "Mon petite," he said softly, reaching up to tuck a lock of loose hair behind her ear. "You were right. Your school called; they want you to finish the year."

"Am I in trouble?"

Valentin was shaking his head before words could form. "Of course not! You only missed one day, I think you will be fine." He forced a slight smile to reassure her. "I want you to go home with Lu-" Valentin cut himself off. He raised his eyes slightly to meet Lulu's, hating the pity he saw there. He knew that he had to make this okay for Charlotte, no matter what. She was innocent in all of this, and deserved as little upset as possible. "Your mother. Your mother will take you home," he finished, keeping the smile on his face.

"When will you pick me up?" Charlotte's brow furrowed in confusion. "We were going to see Niagara Falls, Papa!"

"We will, Charlotte. One day," Valentin promised, praying he could keep that promise to his daughter. "In the meantime, you need to go back to school."

"School's almost over, Papa. Then we can go." Confidence filled Charlotte's voice as she beamed at him. "Will you pick me up tomorrow?"

Valentin carefully hugged Charlotte to him, lightly stroking her hair and her back as he tried to pass along every ounce of love he had for her. He felt the sobs coming on as his heart broke in a million pieces. He pulled back and stared at Charlotte briefly, trying to memorize every inch of her face, unable to fathom not seeing her every day or hearing her voice every day. "Au revior," he whispered, gently moving her towards Lulu.

Lulu took Charlotte's hand, sensing Valentin's breaking point. "Rocco's going to be so excited to see you," she told Charlotte as she tugged her daughter gently from the room.

As soon as the door closed, Valentin fell back against the couch, still on the floor, sobs breaking from his chest. Anna looked at him, tears in her eyes.

Valentin woke from his sleep, gasping for breath. He sat up, exhaling hard as he rubbed the sweat from his face. He was chilled from the sweat on his back, the air cool. "Charlotte," he whispered, his voice agonized. His eyes travelled to the pictures on the wall across from him, so many pictures it looked like a wallpaper of his daughter.

He pushed back the covers and stood up, stretching his arms and twisting his neck, rubbing a crick that never seemed to go away. Moving to the tiny window, he glanced outside and up at the moon and stars as he did every night, wondering what Charlotte was doing and if she was looking at them too, knowing they still could see the same moon and stars.

Valentin groaned; he doubted she even cared anymore. It had been 12 years since that night, the night he'd been arrested and lost custody of Charlotte. Over 4,300 days – he'd counted every single one of them. He'd tried hard to fight the charges against him, but the WSB had fought harder and won. His sentence, although not a life sentence as Anna had predicted to him in the hospital after the Nurses Ball, had been 25 years with a chance of parole. When Lulu had taken him to court for legal custody of Charlotte, Valentin had tried to retain custody. He'd tried to make sure Lulu and Dante couldn't get more than visitation with his daughter. He'd begged Nina to take full custody of Charlotte; as her stepmother – and his wife. Valentin had watched how torn Nina had been. Her love for Charlotte ran so deep.

"Do you understand what you're asking me to do?" Nina's eyes sparkled with tears as she sat in the visitor's room at the police station. "You're asking me to remain your wife, legally married to you while you're in prison for 25 years. That's the only way I can even think of keeping custody of Charlotte."

Valentin nodded. "That's exactly what I'm asking you to do." He leaned forward, his eyes begging her to understand. "Nina, I've made so many mistakes in my life. But Charlotte doesn't deserve to suffer for that. She's something I've done right in my life. Charlotte, and marrying you." Tears filled her eyes as he reached his hands towards her. "I love you more than anything, Nina. I'd love to know that my wife and daughter are enjoying life together while I'm … gone. And when I get out, we can all be together."

Nina shook her head, moving her hands away from him and brushing the tears from her eyes. "That's a big assumption, Valentin. Considering how much has happened, how much you've lied to me and how much you've failed me and our marriage. That's a big assumption that I'll wait 25 years for you."

"Think of Charlotte," Valentin began to say.

"Don't." Nina's voice turned dangerously low. Anger laced through her entire body, so much so that she began to shake. "Do not use your daughter, or my love for Charlotte, against me. This isn't about just Charlotte. If it was, I'd take her in a heartbeat." Nina allowed a hoarse, sarcastic laugh to escape her. "You're acting like Charlotte is going to be alone. She has a mother, Valentin. I know you hate to admit that, but Charlotte has a mother who is alive and well and wants Charlotte with her. I've seen them together – Charlotte adores her."

Valentin was already shaking his head. "Lulu and Dante aren't fit to raise my daughter. She needs someone who understands what she needs. Who will help her grow into the young woman she deserves to be."

"Well, it won't be with me," Nina said quietly. "I love Charlotte with all my heart. I think the best thing you can do for her is to make sure she's not a ward of the state. She needs to be with her mother. Her stepfather. Her brother."

"HALF brother," Valentin corrected sullenly.

Nina stood and walked to the door, turning back when her hand reached the handle. Her eyes met his sadly. "Do what's best for your daughter, Valentin. Think of Charlotte, not your own feelings." With that, she quietly walked out.

Based on the circumstances, his attorney, Nora Buchanan, had agreed. Unless he wanted to make Charlotte a ward of the state, he had to sign custody of her to. They'd make it conditional, until his release from prison. But both of them knew by the time he was released, Charlotte would be old enough for custody to be not needed. So he'd swallowed everything and signed custody over to Lulu and Dante.

His next step was to argue about visitation. Nora had told him to make visitation a condition of custody would be insane, and sure enough, Lulu had Diane fighting him in court right away. She didn't want Charlotte to see the father she adored in prison. At least not right away. When she was old enough, they could discuss changing the terms. Diane fought hard, and won. Charlotte was not to be taken to the prison. Valentin would be able to contact her via mail, email when she was old enough and phone calls once he was granted privileges. Valentin felt the victory small, even when Nora added a condition of Lulu sending pictures every month to Valentin. At least he'd be able to watch his daughter grow up from behind bars.

Stepping away from the window, Valentin looked at the pictures littering his wall. Valentin was sure Lulu had taken great pride to find all the pictures Charlotte was happiest in to send him, rubbing it in that her life was happy without him. He traced his fingers over the picture of Charlotte when the Falconeri's got their first puppy, a golden lab Charlotte got to name. She'd called the puppy Rosie, and they went everywhere together.

His eyes moved to the picture of Charlotte when she got braces, her grin huge to show off the yellow and purple in her mouth. Pictures of Charlotte at the Nurses Ball every year, her school pictures, school performances, dance classes and horseback riding. Charlotte had a full life with Lulu and Dante, Valentin was reassured by that. But he was missing out on all of it.

Charlotte had just turned 17 years old. Valentin traced his finger over her most recent picture, standing in front of the new car she'd bought. She worked at the stable where she rode and saved half the cost of the car, using the other half from the money Valentin insisted be set aside for her care. Lulu was quick to reassure him in their brief contact that Charlotte was very responsible with money. Not that he cared.

Valentin raked his fingers through his hair in frustration, his heart constricting with the longing he felt. He hadn't spoken to his daughter in almost 3 years. Their distance happened slowly, and Valentin had been unable to stop it. He'd desperately tried to stay as close as he could over the years. Their letters and calls were frequent in the beginning. Charlotte had been so confused about his disappearance, about her inability to see him and only speak with him through the phone and mail. She'd been desperate to hold onto every interaction they could get. She eagerly awaited his calls, and her letters were written painstakingly, filled with pictures she'd drawn and stories of all her adventures.

Until she started trying to solicit promises from him; ones he knew he could never fill. Their trip to Niagara Falls, other places she wanted to visit with her Papa. He'd done all he could to suggest she go to these places with Lulu, Dante, their families, Nina – but Charlotte wanted him. She wanted him to come to her dance recitals, her riding competitions, her birthday parties. None that he could attend – until her 13th birthday, when the courts decided Charlotte was old enough to visit him in prison.

Valentin had anticipated that day with huge excitement. He hadn't seen his daughter in 8 years, and he'd felt the distance already growing between them. He was hoping the visits would help mend some of the confusion and hurt Charlotte had been feeling. He was sure she thought he'd abandoned her. Valentin was further discouraged because he wasn't given the chance to explain his situation to Charlotte; he had to rely on Lulu, with the help of a social worker. Realizing Nina was still in contact with Charlotte, Valentin had reached out to ask her to accompany his daughter in for the very first visit. Charlotte had refused, insisting Lulu be the one to accompany her.

Nora had gotten permission for them to be in a vistors room so contact was allowed. On the "big day", Valentin was very nervous.