Chapter 2 - THE SECRET SHARED
I stayed at the hospital all night. Every time I looked at Caleb, I felt a whirlwind of emotions—shock, confusion, a fierce, burning determination. He might not be mine by blood, but he was mine in every way that truly mattered. I had held him the day he was born. I had taught him to walk. I had dried his tears a thousand times. Blood meant nothing compared to that bond.
At dawn, Clara walked in carrying coffee and fresh clothes. She took one look at my face and stopped.
"Adrian? What is it?"
I hesitated. Emily’s warning echoed in my mind. Do not trust anyone. But Clara had been with us for years. She loved Caleb. She had been the only one to notice he was missing last night. If I couldn’t trust her, I couldn’t trust anyone.
I pulled out the letter and handed it to her.
Clara read it slowly. Her face went pale. She sank into the chair beside me, staring at the words as if she couldn’t believe them.
"Marcus Vance," she whispered.
My head snapped up. "You know him?"
Clara nodded slowly, her expression grave. "I heard Emily mention the name once. Years ago. Before she married you. She was terrified of him. She said he was involved in… shady business. Money, power, people who disappear." She looked at me. "If Vanessa knows about him…"
"Then she knows exactly what she’s doing," I finished for her. "She knows if this gets out, Marcus will come for him."
Clara gripped my arm. "Adrian, that changes everything. If Vanessa is working with him… or if she wants to sell this information to him… Caleb isn’t safe anywhere."
"She locked him in a doghouse to find this letter," I said quietly. "She terrorized a five-year-old because she knew what was inside it. She’s not just cruel, Clara. She’s dangerous."
Caleb stirred in the bed. We both fell silent. He opened his eyes and looked at me, a small, tired smile touching his lips.
"Daddy?"
"I’m here, buddy." I stood and walked over to the bed, pushing the hair gently from his forehead. "How are you feeling?"
"Better." He looked around the room, then lowered his voice. "Is Vanessa here?"
"No," I said firmly. "Vanessa is not here. And she is never going to hurt you again. I promise."
Caleb studied my face for a long moment. Then he reached under his pillow and pulled out something small and shiny. A silver locket.
"She dropped this," he said. "When she was pulling me toward the doghouse. I picked it up before she saw."
I took the locket. It was heavy, expensive. I flipped it open.
There was no picture inside. Only a scrap of paper with a single name and phone number scribbled in Vanessa’s handwriting.
*Marcus.*
I stared at the name. The blood drained from my face.
Clara leaned over my shoulder. She gasped. "Adrian—"
The phone in my pocket buzzed. An unknown number. I looked at the locket. Then at the screen.
May you like
I answered.
"Adrian Cole," a deep, smooth voice said on the other end. A voice that sent a chill straight down my spine. "I believe you have something that belongs to my fiancée."
