His Secret Son, Her Stolen Fortune

was a text from my

to cancel tonight. Wo

quick, "No prob

ind a cold, hard clarity. I wasn't just going to d

g him to prepare divorce papers. No settlement. No alimony. I just

all, obscure country on the other side

dically purged it of my existence. Clothes, books, photos. I piled them in the la

mile was so bright, so charismatic. A lie. I poured whiskey on the fire, a

s sterile, impersonal, like a hotel. All that wa

missed calls from Aiden. A stri

where

your

comin

TT

r screech to a halt in the driveway. A few

ving. When he saw me, the tension in his should

breathed. "I w

you answer your phone? I called you almost forty

ke. A sick, twisted performance.

k, a subtle, almost imperceptible movement. He

t," I said, my voice f

of confusion in his eyes. He noticed

ean

fireplace. "Getting rid of som

aving a mood swing. He smiled, a placating, patronizing smile

stepping closer again. He pulled a small velv

It was beautiful, and I knew without looking that the

about losing you," he said, h

uld fix anything? Did he think a piece of jewe

n?" The question slipped o

estion is that? Of course I love yo

toning his shirt. "I need you,

, the thing that had once been m

said, his eyes already distant, l

running, my phone vibrated on the nightstand. It was a text. Bu

r looked at his phone before. It had always

. The password, I guessed on the first try, was my

read with a contact simply named "H." My h

ges, every day.

knee today. He

his daddy wa

is fever is down.

he used with me. The same promises. The same reassurances. But there

message from ear

le. I think he's getting

t worry. I'll be there soo

hour ago. While he was frantically calli

It was just a script he used, a performance he gave

it were burning my hand. A deep, ph

my skin. I was shivering, but not from the chill in the room. It was a col

Aiden came out, a towel

nst my back. He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me

uscle screamed in protest. It was

his voice laced with con

orehead. "You're burnin

to one of urgent concern. "We

phone, the one I had dropped on the nightstand, b

ression turning serious as

ody tensing. "I kn

apology. "Lottie, I'm so sorry. There's an eme

medicine in the cabinet. Take some. Call me if

just stared at the wall

intly, through the phone he was now pressing t

burning with fever, for his other family. And in that moment, I k