Chapter 2: The Son of a Dead Man
I stared at the doctor as if he had spoken another language.
“Excuse me?””
The doctor glanced at the chart in his hand.
“I’m only repeating what Maria told the nurses before she went under anesthesia.””
“My brother is dead.””
The words came out automatically.
Everyone knew that.
Andrew Carter had been twenty-nine years old when his boat disappeared during a storm.
The search lasted two weeks.
No body was ever recovered.
But my parents held a funeral anyway.
My family mourned him.
The world moved on.
For six years, we believed Andrew was gone.
The doctor looked uncomfortable.
“Mr. Carter, Maria was very specific.””
I looked through the glass window toward the recovery room.
Maria was lying there, surrounded by machines.
The same woman who had spent years quietly protecting my family had just destroyed everything I thought I knew.
Behind me, Vanessa spoke.
“She’s lying.””
I turned.
She was standing near the wall, her face pale.
“How would she know something like that?”” I asked.
Vanessa shook her head.
“Because she wants attention.””
I stared at her.
“Maria almost died tonight.””
“She’s manipulating you.””
The coldness in her voice shocked me.
For the first time, I wondered if I had ever truly known Vanessa.
A nurse appeared at the doorway.
“Mr. Carter? Maria is awake.””
I entered the room alone.
Maria looked weak.
Her face was pale, and a bandage covered part of her cheek.
But her eyes were clear.
She looked relieved when she saw me.
“You came.””
“Of course I came.””
Her fingers moved slightly against the blanket.
“I’m sorry.””
“For what?””
“For not telling you sooner.””
I pulled a chair closer.
“Maria, tell me everything.””
She closed her eyes for a moment.
Then she whispered:
“Andrew is alive.””
My chest tightened.
“Maria…”
“I know what you think. I know everyone thinks he died.””
“Because he did.””
“No.””
Her voice became stronger.
“He wanted everyone to think he did.””
I couldn’t move.
“Why?””
Maria looked toward the door.
Then back at me.
“Because your family was in danger.””
“My family?””
She nodded.
“Andrew discovered something about your father’s company. Something people would kill to hide.””
I felt a chill.
“Who?””
Maria hesitated.
Before she answered, my phone buzzed.
A message.
Unknown number.
I opened it.
There was only one sentence.
*Stop asking Maria questions if you want your family to survive.*
My fingers tightened around the phone.
Maria saw my expression.
“They found you.””
“Who?””
Her eyes filled with fear.
“The people Andrew was running from.””
I stood.
“What does Noah have to do with this?””
Maria looked at me for a long moment.
Then tears formed in her eyes.
“Noah is seven years old.””
I waited.
“He is Andrew’s son.””
The room went silent.
I thought about my brother.
The man everyone remembered as careless, adventurous, impossible to control.
A man who supposedly died alone at sea.
“He had a child?””
Maria nodded.
“I was trying to protect him.””
“Why didn’t Andrew tell us?””
“Because he couldn’t.””
Her voice cracked.
“He found out someone close to your family wanted him gone.””
I felt my stomach tighten.
Someone close to my family.
A person I knew.
A person who had access to us.
“Who?””
Maria opened her mouth.
Then stopped.
Her eyes suddenly moved toward the hallway.
The monitor beside her began beeping faster.
“What is it?”” I asked.
She grabbed my wrist.
“Don’t trust Vanessa.””
I froze.
“What?””
“She knows where Noah is.””
Before I could ask another question, the lights in the hallway flickered.
A nurse rushed past the room.
Then another.
And then I heard shouting near the hospital entrance.
A security guard ran toward the nurses’ station.
“Lock the doors!””
My heart dropped.
“What’s happening?””
The guard looked terrified.
“Several armed men just entered the building.””
Maria’s face turned white.
“They came for Noah.””
The room suddenly felt too small.
I looked at the hospital door.
Then at Maria.
Then at the message still glowing on my phone.
And for the first time that night, I realized something far worse than my fiancée’s betrayal.
May you like
Someone had been hiding my brother’s son for seven years.
And now they were willing to come into a hospital to take him back.
