Chapter 5 - The Child I Never Knew
I couldn't speak.
Vanessa's words hung in the air.
Your firstborn.
Impossible.
I had one daughter.
One son.
That was what I had always believed.
“My wife was pregnant once before Sophie.”
Vanessa nodded.
“You knew?”
“I knew everything.”
My mind raced.
My wife had told me she miscarried before Sophie.
A private tragedy.
One we never discussed.
But Vanessa had just said something else.
“Where is the child?”
She smiled.
“Alive.”
Marcus laughed from the corner.
I turned toward him.
“Where?”
“You'll never find him.”
I stepped forward.
Vanessa screamed.
“Evan!”
I stopped.
She looked terrified.
Not of me.
Of something else.
“Marcus doesn't know everything.”
“What happened to my son?”
She swallowed.
“Your wife gave birth.”
My heart broke.
“She gave birth?”
“Yes.”
“And you?”
“I was there.”
“Why?”
“Because your wife knew what your family was becoming.”
I stared at her.
“What did you do?”
Vanessa looked down.
“I took the baby.”
The world seemed to tilt.
“You stole my son.”
“He wasn't yours to keep.”
I nearly lunged at her.
Daniel grabbed my shoulder.
“Evan.”
I forced myself to stop.
“Where is he?”
Vanessa shook her head.
“You'll never understand.”
“Try me.”
“He was born with a mark.”
“What mark?”
“A small crescent-shaped birthmark beneath his left ear.”
My breathing stopped.
Caleb.
I looked at the photograph on my phone.
My son.
Three years old.
Dark blond hair.
Brown eyes.
And beneath his left ear—
A faint crescent.
I looked at Vanessa.
She smiled.
“You really never noticed.”
My entire body went numb.
“You knew Caleb was my son.”
“No.”
She shook her head.
“I knew Caleb was your firstborn.”
Sophie was crying in my arms.
Daniel stared at Vanessa.
“So who is the second child?”
Vanessa's smile disappeared.
“What?”
Daniel stepped forward.
“Evan has two children.”
Vanessa froze.
Daniel looked at me.
“Then who was the baby you took?”
Vanessa's face went white.
Marcus suddenly laughed.
“Oh, this is going to be good.”
I looked at him.
“What did you do?”
He shook his head.
“Your wife didn't have one baby.”
May you like
He paused.
“She had twins.”
