Chapter 2: The Woman He Wasn’t Supposed to See
Chapter 2: The Woman He Wasn’t Supposed to See
Silence didn’t fall gently.
It collapsed.
The woman dropped the tray completely, staring at Noah as if she had seen a ghost.
“No… no, that’s not possible,” she whispered.
Logan stepped forward immediately, pulling Noah closer.
“Do you know him?” he asked sharply.
The woman’s hands trembled.
“I shouldn’t,” she said. “I was told I would never see him again.”
Vanessa’s expression shifted instantly.
Cold. Alert.
“Logan,” she said softly, “remove the staff member. She’s upsetting the child.”
But Noah suddenly reached out.
Not toward Logan.
Toward her.
His voice cracked again.
“Ma…”
The woman broke.
She knelt so fast her knees hit the marble.
“I’m here,” she whispered. “I’m here, baby.”
Logan’s chest tightened.
“What is this?” he demanded. “Who are you?”
The woman looked up slowly.
Her eyes were wet, but steady.
“I’m his mother.”
Vanessa let out a short, disbelieving laugh.
“That’s impossible.”
But the woman shook her head.
“They told me he died in a medical transfer two years ago,” she said. “After they took him from me.”
Logan felt the world tilt slightly.
“Who took him?”
Before she could answer, Noah pressed his face into Logan’s coat—shaking violently.
Not from fear of the woman.
From fear of Vanessa.
The woman noticed it instantly.
Her eyes locked onto Vanessa.
And something in her expression changed.
Recognition.
Horror.
“You,” she whispered. “You were there.”
Vanessa’s smile didn’t move.
But her eyes did.
May you like
Just for a second.
Enough.
