Caleb was found curled inside a doghouse, shivering beside a dog bowl while Vanessa smiled outside.

My grip on the phone tightened until my knuckles turned white. I stood frozen, staring at the name scrawled inside the locket. Marcus.

"Who is this?" I asked, keeping my voice steady.

The man laughed—a low, unpleasant sound. "You can call me an interested party. Let’s not play games, Adrian. Vanessa tells me you found a certain letter last night. A letter that was never meant to see the light of day."

My mind raced. Vanessa had called him. She had told him everything.

"Vanessa tells you a lot," I said carefully.

"Vanessa does what she is paid to do," Marcus replied, his tone turning cold. "And she has been very well paid to keep secrets. Secrets about a boy who looks far too much like me."

I went still. He knew. He already knew.

"What do you want?" I asked.

"Simple," Marcus said. "Bring me the letter. And bring me Caleb. Then we can all come to an arrangement."

My blood turned to ice. "You will never get near my son."

"He is not your son," Marcus snapped back, his voice suddenly sharp and dangerous. "He is mine. And I will have him. With or without your cooperation. You have twenty-four hours, Adrian. Then I come to collect what belongs to me."

The line went dead.

I stood there for a long time, staring at the phone. Clara watched me, her eyes wide with fear.

"Who was it?"

"Marcus," I said. "He knows everything. He’s coming for Caleb."

Clara sank into the chair, covering her mouth with her hand. "Oh my God."

"I have to get him out of here," I said, turning to Caleb. He was watching us with big, frightened eyes. "We have to go. Now."

The doctor came in a few minutes later to check on Caleb. He said Caleb would be fine, but he needed rest and observation. I signed the discharge papers myself. I didn’t care about protocol. I cared about keeping him alive.

Clara drove us. We didn’t go home. I couldn’t. It was the first place Marcus would look. Instead, we headed to a small cabin my father had left me deep in the woods, hours away from the city. A place no one knew about. A place I had never even mentioned to Vanessa.

On the drive, Caleb fell asleep in the backseat. I sat in the passenger seat, staring out the window at the passing trees, my mind replaying everything.

Vanessa had married me knowing the truth about Caleb. She had married me as part of a plan. She had been searching for that letter from the moment she moved in. She had terrorized my son to get it. And when she failed, she had called Marcus.

I felt sick. Betrayed in a way I had never imagined possible.

When we arrived at the cabin, the sun was setting. It was small and rustic, but safe. Clara made up the bed while I carried Caleb inside.

After we got him settled, Clara turned to me.

"What do we do now?"

I pulled out the letter and the locket, placing them on the wooden table between us.

"We fight," I said. "Emily hid the truth for a reason. She knew what kind of man Marcus was. She knew he would hurt Caleb to get what he wants. We are not going to let her sacrifice be in vain."

"But Adrian—he has resources. Money. Connections. He can make this very difficult for you."

"I don’t care," I said fiercely. "Caleb is my son. Whether Emily gave birth to him or not. Whether Marcus is his blood or not. That boy calls me Daddy. And I will die before I let anyone take him away."

Clara reached across the table and placed her hand over mine.

"Then I’m with you. Whatever you need. Whatever happens."

I nodded, my throat tight with gratitude. "Thank you."

Just then, my phone buzzed again. A text message from Vanessa.

*Come home, Adrian. We can fix this together. Marcus won’t hurt anyone if you just hand over the boy. He’s Caleb’s father. It’s where he belongs.*

I stared at the words. Rage burned through me. She thought she could manipulate me. She thought I would hand my son over to a monster just because she said so.

I typed back: Stay away from us. If you ever come near Caleb again, I will make sure you go to prison. Do not contact me again.

I blocked her number. Then I turned off the phone entirely.

I walked over to the window and looked out at the dark woods surrounding the cabin. Somewhere out there, a man named Marcus was searching for us. He had money. He had influence. He had Vanessa helping him.

But he didn’t know me. He didn’t know how far I would go to protect my son.

He didn’t know that Emily had prepared me. That she had left me the truth. And that truth was the only weapon I needed.

I turned back to the room. Caleb was sleeping peacefully. Clara was watching him.

"We need a lawyer," I said quietly. "Someone who knows Marcus. Someone who knows his past."

Clara nodded. "I know a man. An old friend of Emily’s father. He helped her with the marriage license. He knows everything about the family. Everything about Marcus."

"Can we trust him?"