Chapter 3 - Shadows in the Guest Wing
The guest wing of the Blackwood mansion was larger than the entire homeless shelter my children and I had occupied for the past two weeks. The suite featured three interconnected rooms, massive canopy beds draped in Egyptian cotton, and a fireplace that crackled with a warm, inviting fire.
A kind, older housekeeper named Martha had brought up a cart filled with hot chicken soup, fresh bread, and warm milk for the kids. Noah, Lily, and Emma ate ravenously, their initial fear melting away under the influence of full stomachs and safety. Within an hour, all three were fast asleep in the massive, plush beds, buried under layers of down comforters.
I stood by the large window overlooking the snow-covered grounds, a cup of tea cooling in my hands. I had showered, washing away the grime of the airport floors, and wore a soft velvet robe Martha had provided. Yet, my soul still felt dirty, still trapped in the survival mode I had lived in for so long.
A soft knock sounded at the door. I opened it to find Ethan standing there. He had changed into a dark sweater, looking less like a billionaire tycoon and more like the man I had loved five years ago in that tiny New York apartment.
"May I come in?" he asked quietly.
I nodded, stepping aside. He walked into the room, his eyes instantly drifting toward the adjoining bedroom where the children slept. He looked at them for a long moment, an expression of profound tenderness and regret washing over his features.
"Noah is mine, isn't he, Maya?" Ethan asked, his voice barely a whisper as he turned back to me. "The timeline... the features. He’s my son."
I felt a tear slip down my cheek, hot and bitter. "Yes, Ethan. He's yours. I found out I was pregnant two weeks after the car accident. I tried to contact you. I came to the Blackwood corporate offices in New York, broken, still wearing the neck brace from the crash. Your mother’s security team threw me out into the street. They told me that if I ever tried to approach you again, they would use their political connections to put my father in prison over a falsified tax charge. I was terrified. I had no money, no parents left, and a baby on the way."
Ethan closed his eyes, his fists clenching so hard his knuckles turned white. "I was in a coma for three weeks after that crash, Maya. When I woke up, my mother told me you had taken a five-million-dollar check to disappear. She showed me a forged signature on a contract. I was so broken, so hurt by your apparent betrayal, that I threw myself into the business. I left for Europe the next day. I didn't find out the truth until six months ago, when I found my mother’s old private journals in the family safe."
"And the other two?" I asked, looking toward the bedroom. "Lily and Emma?"
"They are Tyler’s children," I whispered, the admission tearing at my throat. "After Noah was born, I was desperate. I took a job at a diner in Chicago. Tyler was a regular. He was sweet at first, protective. He offered us a home. I thought... I thought I could build a normal life for Noah. But the moment we moved in, the trap snapped shut. He became controlling, violent. Lily came, then Emma. I stayed because he threatened to kill Noah if I ever left. He kept us trapped in that apartment until two weeks ago when I finally found the courage to run while he was passed out."
Ethan stepped closer to me, his silver-flecked eyes burning with a fierce, protective fire. He reached out, his hand hesitating before gently cupping my cheek. The warmth of his touch sent a shiver through my spine.
"It doesn't matter," Ethan said softly. "Noah is my blood, but Lily and Emma are your children, which means they are my family now too. I will protect all three of them, Maya. And I will protect you."
Before I could answer, my phone—a cheap, prepaid burner device I kept in my robe pocket—began to vibrate violently. The screen displayed an unknown number.
My heart seized. With trembling fingers, I pressed answer and held it to my ear.
May you like
"Did you really think a fancy car and a big house would keep you from me, Maya?" Tyler’s voice sneered through the speaker, low and dripping with psychotic malice. "I know exactly where you are. You’re at the Blackwood place. Tell your billionaire boyfriend to enjoy his time with you tonight, because tomorrow, I'm coming to take what's mine. And if I can't have you, nobody will."
The line went dead. I dropped the phone, the plastic casing shattering against the hardwood floor.
