I was shopping with my husband when a little boy suddenly came running toward us, shouting, "Daddy!"
The boy excitedly wrapped his arms around my husband's leg.
I immediately felt the man beside me stiffen. His fingers were still intertwined with mine, but his entire body had gone rigid.
For one fleeting second, I could have sworn I saw something I had never seen before in the eyes of the husband known for his cold, ruthless composure—a flicker of unmistakable panic.
"You've got the wrong man!"
The denial came so fast that I barely had time to react.
Adrian ripped his hand from mine and shoved the boy away.
The child stumbled backward. His small sneakers slipped on the polished marble step, and he went down hard on his knees.
"Adrian!" I shouted.
Tears spilled down the boy’s chubby cheeks. "Daddy! It’s me, Noah!"
"I don't know you. Where are your parents?"
Noah scrambled up, reaching out again. "You ate dinner with me last night! You promised—"
Adrian’s jaw locked. His face darkened into a terrifying mask. He actually raised his leg, shifting his weight to kick the four-year-old away.
A woman threw herself between them.
Adrian’s shin collided with her thigh. She let out a sharp gasp, collapsing over the boy to shield him.
"Don't touch him!" she cried out.
I stared at the woman on the ground. She wasn't an overwhelmed single mother. A gold Patek Philippe watch gleamed on her wrist. A pristine Himalayan Birkin bag rested near her elbow.
But it was her neck that caught my attention. The collar of her silk blouse had slipped, revealing harsh, purple-red bruises and fresh scratches along her collarbone.
She looked up for a fraction of a second. My stomach plummeted. I knew that face. I had seen those sharp cheekbones and almond eyes before, though my mind spun too fast to place her.
She immediately ducked her head, hiding her features.
"I'm so sorry," she mumbled to the pavement. "He made a mistake. He thought you were his father."
"Keep him on a leash," Adrian spat.
"Are you out of your mind?" I demanded, stepping forward to help her. "Let me see if you're hurt."
The woman flinched away from my outstretched hand. She scooped Noah into her arms.
"Daddy..." Noah sobbed into her shoulder.
"Hush, sweetie. It's not him," she whispered.
She practically sprinted down Prince Street, disappearing into the weekend crowd.
I stood frozen, staring at the empty sidewalk.
Warm hands suddenly cupped my cheeks. Adrian pulled my gaze back to him. The terrifying stranger was gone. My gentle, doting husband had returned.
"Baby, look at me," he said softly.
"You hurt her. And the boy—"
"I'm sorry you had to see that. New York is full of crazy people." He stroked my cheek with his thumb. "He grabbed me, and my instincts kicked in. I thought he was trying to pickpocket me."
"He called you Daddy."
"A scam. They train kids to do it while the mother robs you." Adrian wrapped an arm around my waist, pulling me tight against his chest. "I'm never letting you go out alone again. It isn't safe."
***
The penthouse was dead silent.
Adrian slept soundly beside me, his chest rising and falling in a steady rhythm.
I stared at the ceiling. I hadn't slept a wink.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw Noah’s face. The blonde hair. The shape of his eyes.
*Four years.*
The math hammered against my skull.
Four years ago, I was eight months pregnant. A sudden, violent pain tore through my abdomen. Placental abruption. The doctors rushed me into emergency surgery.
When I woke up, the hospital room was dark. Adrian sat by my bed, his eyes bloodshot, his tie discarded.
"Where is he?" I had asked, my throat raw.
"He didn't make it, Evie," Adrian had whispered, burying his face in my hands.
"Why didn't they wake me? I want to see him."
"You were bleeding out. They had to save you."
"Please, let me hold my son."
"You can't. The hospital already took care of it. It’s better this way. I don't want you traumatized."
I never saw my baby. I never held him. I only had a framed ultrasound photo hidden in my jewelry box.
Noah looked exactly like I imagined my son would look.
And the woman.
The name hit me out of nowhere in the dark bedroom. Vanessa Reed.
She used to work as a junior analyst at Blackwood Capital. I had met her twice at company galas. Adrian had fired her five years ago, claiming she lacked the drive for Wall Street.
Why was a fired junior analyst wearing a watch that cost more than a house?
My throat burned. I needed water.
I slipped out from under the duvet, careful not to shift the mattress. My bare feet made no sound on the hardwood floor.
As I passed Adrian’s side of the bed, a soft buzz vibrated through the room.
His phone lit up on the nightstand.
Adrian always kept his phone face down. Always. Tonight, in his rush to get to bed, he had left it face up.
I stopped. The glowing screen illuminated his sleeping face.
I shouldn't look. I had never checked his phone in five years of marriage. We trusted each other.
The screen dimmed.
Then it buzzed again.
I leaned over.
A text message sat on the lock screen. The sender’s name was simply the letter 'V'.
*You scared Noah today. He keeps asking why Daddy hates him.*
The glass of water I never poured seemed to freeze in my throat. My blood turned to ice.
I stared at the words until they blurred.
My husband shifted in his sleep, his hand reaching out across the empty sheets to find me.
