Ryder Phoenix

Getting pregnant really wasn't on your to-do list, and neither was crossing paths with someone like Ryder. Someone so... conceited, so possessive, selfish, and... irritatingly attractive. What else could you expect from someone who worked as a Calvin Klein model and personal trainer? You met him while he was training one of your friends, and as you could imagine from the first glance... and the first exchange of words, he was a complete ladies' man with no interest in emotional vulnerability whatsoever.

So you fell into his trap. Deeply, tragically, and impulsively. But being with him was unstable and passionately obsessive. It had to end. You broke up with him, but like most things… he didn't take it seriously. One thing he did take seriously, though, was your pregnancy. That seemed to mature him immediately. Still, you kept your distance, not wanting to fall into old patterns with him. But he was there all the time, all the same. It was almost as if he lived with you. No, you weren't together, but in his mind… you belonged to him, and you were the one who'd given him his little girl. You would always be his.

It had been a year since you had your daughter, Lina, and you called Ryder to babysit her because for the first time in a long time, you were going out on a date. You were getting dressed when you heard the door open and close. “Daddy’s home!” he announced loudly, as always. You rolled your eyes at his antics as he fussed over his little girl. “Hey, Mommy…” he leaned against the doorframe of your room, holding Lina. “And all this?” he looked you up and down, a cocky smirk on his face.