Calvin POV:
The paper in my hand felt like a death sentence. Leo' s childish scrawl, so innocent, so full of hope. It was a drawing of a family-me, Alea, and Leo-holding hands. And at the bottom, printed in careful, uneven letters: "Happy birthday, Papa. I wish you would play soccer with me. I wish you loved me."
I wish you loved me.
The words sliced through me, each one a fresh wound. How could I have been so blind? So stupid?
I looked at Leo, so small and fragile in my arms, his face bruised, his arm swollen. My son. My real son. The son I had just brutally punished for a lie.
A wave of nausea washed over me. I wanted to vomit. I wanted to scream. I wanted to die.
Georgia, still clinging to her act, tried to whisper something to me, about Alea being crazy, about Leo being manipulative. But her voice was a distant, irritating buzz.
My gaze, for the first time in months, truly settled on her. Her eyes, usually so innocent, were now cold, assessing. The delicate facade cracked. I saw the calculated cruelty, the venomous intent.
"You," I snarled, my voice raw, broken. "You lied to me. About everything."
Her eyes widened, a flicker of genuine fear passing through them. "Calvin, darling, I don't know what you mean! My amnesia..."
"Don't you dare mention amnesia to me again!" I roared, pushing Leo gently into Nurse Evans's arms. "Aiden's locket? It was never missing! You planted it there to frame Leo! To hurt him! Just like you've been doing to Alea and Leo for months!"
She stammered, trying to find an excuse, but the words died in her throat.
"And Aiden," I continued, my voice trembling with a terrifying realization. "You said you didn't remember. But you knew every detail of his life! You knew his favorite team, his lucky charm, his biggest dreams! You used his memory to manipulate me, to punish Alea, to torment Leo!"
Her face paled. "Calvin, I... I just remembered some things. Bits and pieces."
"Bits and pieces?" I scoffed, a bitter laugh escaping my lips. "No. You remembered everything. You just chose to forget when it was convenient for you!" My mind raced, putting together all the pieces. Her sudden "memory lapses" always happened when she was cornered. Her "fragility" always flared up when Alea was gaining ground.
A chilling thought pierced through my guilt. Aiden's death. She was there. She left him.
I remembered the police report. The "tragic accident." Aiden, hit by a speeding car. Georgia, found miles away, claiming she had been "confused" and had wandered off. And her lover, the one she had abandoned me for, quietly fleeing the country shortly after.
My blood ran cold. It wasn't an accident. It couldn't have been.
"Aiden," I whispered, my voice barely audible. "What really happened to Aiden?"
Georgia visibly flinched. She tried to look away, but I grabbed her arm, my grip like a vise. "Tell me! What did you do?"
She started to cry, real tears this time, tears of fear. "I... I didn't do anything! It was an accident! He ran into the street!"
"He was a cautious child!" I roared. "He knew not to run into the street! He loved soccer! He was always careful!"
"It was Marcus!" she wailed, her facade completely crumbling. "He was driving! He was drunk! Aiden... Aiden saw us. He got out of the car. He ran. Marcus... Marcus panicked. He hit him. I told him to drive away! I told him to hide the car! I told him to pretend I wasn't there! I told him to say Aiden ran into the street!"
The words hit me like a physical blow. My world spun. My heart stopped. My first son. My beloved Aiden. Betrayed. Not by an accident. But by his own mother. By her lover. By a cowardly cover-up.
Rage, pure and blinding, consumed me. I lunged at her, my hands closing around her throat. "You monster!" I screamed, shaking her violently. "You killed him! You killed our son!"
Strong arms pulled me back. Nurse Evans, two orderlies, and a police officer who had just arrived. They restrained me, struggling against my insane strength.
Georgia, gasping for breath, looked at me with wild eyes, fear, and a twisted sense of self-preservation. "He's crazy! He's trying to kill me! He abused me for years! He pushed Aiden too hard! He forced him to play soccer! That's why he was out there!" she shrieked, spewing out every accusation she could think of. "He ignored me! He cheated on me! I had no choice but to leave!"
"You left him to die!" I roared, still struggling against the restraints. "You covered it up! You let me live with this guilt for years! You let me blame myself!" My voice broke, choked with unspeakable grief and rage.
"Mr. William, calm down!" the officer commanded, his voice stern. "We need to clear the room!"
I looked at Georgia, my eyes burning with a promise of retribution. "You will pay for this. You will pay for everything! I will make sure you rot in prison for the rest of your miserable life!"
She just stared back, her face a mixture of terror and defiance.
They led her away, still screaming, still protesting. And suddenly, the room was empty. Empty and silent. The chaos of moments before was replaced by a hollow, suffocating stillness.
Alea was gone. Leo was gone. They had switched hospitals. My phone, I realized, was now useless. She had blocked me.
"Find them," I said, my voice hoarse, to my security detail, who had just arrived in a flurry of whispers and worried glances. "Find Alea and Leo. Don't stop until you do."
Then I looked at my lawyer, who was standing beside me, his face pale. "Every single detail. Every single witness. Every piece of evidence. I want Georgia prosecuted for Aiden's death. For everything. I want her to suffer." My voice was cold, devoid of emotion. "And Alea's divorce papers. Find a loophole. I won't lose them."
I walked out of that hospital, a hollow shell of the man I once was. The luxurious penthouse, once filled with the muted sounds of Alea's gentle presence and Leo's joyful laughter, was now a desolate tomb. Every corner screamed of my failure. Aiden's trophies, still on the floor where Georgia had knocked them, glinted mockingly in the dim light. The silence was deafening.
I sank onto the cold floor, running my hands through my hair. How could I have been so foolish? So utterly blind? My ambition, my grief, my self-pity-they had all been weapons, wielded by Georgia, aimed directly at my family, and I had let her. I had stood by and watched as she destroyed everything good in my life. I had even helped her.
The image of Leo's bruised face, his broken arm, his tear-filled eyes, flashed before me. I just wanted you to be proud of me, Papa.
The words echoed in my head, a relentless torment. My son. My sweet, sensitive boy, whom I had abused. Whom I had pushed away. Whom I had chosen Georgia over.
My body wracked with sobs. I had lost everything. My first son, murdered by the woman I had once loved. My second son, whom I had betrayed in the cruelest way. My wife, the only woman who had truly loved me, now gone forever.
I collapsed onto the floor, the weight of my guilt, my regret, my crushing loss, too much to bear. My hands clawed at my chest, as if I could rip the pain out.
"Alea! Leo!" I screamed, my voice raw, broken. "Please! Come back to me!"
But there was only silence. A cold, empty silence that mirrored the desolation in my soul. I was alone. Utterly and irrevocably alone. And I deserved every agonizing second of it.
