They walked beside a line of oak trees.
Children played on a nearby field.
A woman pushed a stroller along the sidewalk.
For several minutes, Marcus and Nia said very little.
Then the girl looked toward him.
"Dad?"
He turned.
"Yeah?"
"Are you going to divorce Vanessa?"
Marcus had expected the question.
But hearing it from his daughter still hurt.
He took a slow breath.
"I don't know exactly how everything will be resolved yet. But I do know that what happened was serious, and we're not going back to pretending it didn't happen."
Nia stared at the path.
For a moment, she seemed relieved.
Then she asked.
"What about Caleb and Ava?"
Marcus looked toward her.
"What about them?"
"They didn't do anything wrong."
He nodded.
"I know."
Nia swallowed.
"Vanessa keeps saying you're not really their dad."
Marcus felt a sharp sadness.
He had never tried to erase the children's biological father, who remained involved only irregularly after Vanessa's divorce. But he'd cared for Caleb and Ava throughout the marriage, attended their school events, helped them with homework, and grown to love them as family.
He knew a separation could affect his ability to see them.
The children's legal arrangements were different from Nia's.
He was their stepfather, not their biological or adoptive parent.
That distinction mattered.
But he wasn't going to pretend his affection disappeared because legal relationships became complicated.
He looked toward Nia.
"I'll do what I can to make sure they have support, and I'll work with the adults responsible for them to find the right arrangements."
She nodded slowly.
Then asked.
"Can they still be my brother and sister?"
Marcus stopped walking.
For a moment, he looked down at his daughter.
She was twelve.
Her mother was gone.
Her stepmother had hurt her.
And yet she was worried about losing two younger children she'd come to love.
He crouched beside her.
"Of course you can keep loving them."
Nia's eyes filled.
Then she whispered.
"I don't want them to think I ruined everything."
Marcus shook his head.
"You didn't."
He placed one hand gently against her shoulder.
"The adults are responsible for the choices they made."
Nia nodded.
Then she leaned forward and hugged him.
Marcus held her carefully.
For several seconds, he could barely breathe.
He remembered how his late wife used to pull Nia close when the girl was frightened.
Now it was his responsibility.
And he wasn't going to step away from it again.