bChapter /b240

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    E 55 Vouchers

    Alex stares at the boy, unable to move or say anything. His legs feel heavy, like they’ve been nailed to the ground.

    This has to be some kind of twisted n.

    But the longer his eyes stay on the boy, the harder it is to deny it. The boy indeed looks like him. The resemnce was so strong it almost made his stomach twist.

    There’s no way.

    He shakes his head slightly, almost hoping that if he blinked hard enough the picture in front of him would change. But it didn’t. The boy was still there, nestled against Mia’s sister’s shoulder, looking every bit like him.

    Mia’s sister walks forward, her steps calm but firm. She doesn’t flinch under his stare.

    “I’m here to see you,” she says simply.

    Her voice snaps him out of the trance for a moment. Alex finally manages to tear his eyes away from the boy and look at her. His lips part like he wants to say something, but nothinges out. He couldn’t believe what was happening. None of this made sense.

    There’s no way he has a child with Mia. There’s no way Mia is even here.

    “There’s-” he starts to say, his words broken and unsure.

    “Alex,” his mom nudges him gently from the side, her hand brushing against his arm, grounding him.

    He stares at her,pletely lost. No idea what to say, no idea what to do. This was the first time in his life that words had escaped him.

    His mother repeats softly, “Where’s Mia?”

    “She doesn’t know I’m here,” Mia’s sister answers, steady and unapologetic.

    Alex lets out a dry chuckle and shakes his head. It almost sounds like he’sughing, but it’s bitter, hollow. “This has ito /ibe some kind of joke. Mom, you want me to believe that Mia and I had a child? That he is-”

    But the words never finish.

    At that instant, the boy shifts in his aunt’s arms and turns. Their eyes meet.

    Alex’s breath catches. His throat tightens painfully, the words he was about to say dying instantly.

    The eyes staring back at him… they were his. His exact eyes. The shape, the color, the way they held curiosity and silence all at once.

    This can’t be true.

    b14:41 /bbMon/bb, /bbSep /bb15 /b

    But it was.

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    The boy tilts his head to the side, studying him with a look of innocent wonder. It wasn’t judgment, it wasn’t fear. It was simple, childlike curiosity.

    That small tilt makes Alex feel an unexpected urge to straighten up, to stand taller, to… impress him somehow. Like he needed to give this boy, this little stranger who wasn’t a stranger at all, a good first impression.

    The boy blinks, then looks away, distracted by the busy lobby around them.

    Alex feels a sudden pang in his chest, sharp and deep. He has no idea what he was expecting. For the boy to run into his arms? For him to scream “Daddy!” with a wide smile? For him to recognize him somehow, like in some movie scene?

    But the boy didn’t. The boy didn’t know him.

    And the realization stings more than he thought it would.

    Still, as much as he wanted to argue, to deny this, to call it a scam or a fraud or some ridiculous setup, the truth was standing right there in front of him. It was clear as day.

    This was his son.

    Alex drags his eyes away for a second, scanning the lobby. He notices people beginning to watch, whispers already floating in the air. Some staff had slowed their steps, their eyes flicking between him, the boy, and Mia’s sister.

    “We need to talk,” Mia’s sister says firmly, breaking the tension.

    His mom steps in immediately. “This way.” She points toward another direction, her hand motioning for

    Mia’s sister to follow.

    Then she nudges Alex to move too, her touch almost urgent.

    “Let’s go”

    They ended up in a huge conference room.

    Lily lowered herself into one of the chairs, still clutching Aiden tightly against her body.

    He wasn’t usually like this. Normally, Aiden would be bubbling with questions, pointing at new thingsb, /bsmiling shyly at strangers. But now he was unusually quiet. His little face was pressed into her chest, his small hands gripping her midsection as though he knew something was wrong.

    “Sleepy?” she whispered into his hair, her lips brushing the crown of his head.

    Aiden gave a small nod without lifting his head.

    b14:42 /bbMon/bb, /bbSep /bb15 /b

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    Lily shifted him gently, adjusting his weight until he was perched on herp properly, his little legs thrown on either side of hers. His hands tightened against her. His head rested on her chest

    She pressed a lingering kiss to his hair, a smile tugging at her lips despite everything.

    But the moment she lifted her head, the smile faltered. The room was heavy, every pair of eyes locked on her.

    Esther was smiling softly, her eyes glistening as though the sight of the boy melted her heartpletely. She looked… endeared, as if every second she stared at him only confirmed what she already believed.

    Jullian’s gaze was different. He was staring at Aiden like he was already part of the family, like pride itself was swelling in his chest. There was no hesitation in his look, no doubt, no fear.

    And then… There was Alex.

    She couldn’t read him at all. He was leaning slightly forward, elbows on his knees, staring at Aiden with an expression that was both nk and burning at the same time.

    His face gave nothing away, yet his eyes… his eyes hadn’t left the boy since they stepped in. It was as if he was frozen, stuck between disbelief and eptance.

    It was clear he was still struggling to believe.

    Esther broke the silence. “Where’s Mia?”

    “At home,” Lily answered quickly, her voice low.

    Esther paused, her eyes darting toward Alex awkwardly before flicking back to her.

    “She’s the mom, right?” Esther asked softly.

    Lily choked on her spit.

    Alex’s head snapped toward his mother immediately, his brows drawing together.

    “She is,” Lily managed to say, clearing her throat.

    Her heart raced as she looked down at Aiden. His breathing had evened out, he was fast asleep.

    Now she can speak freely.

    “Yes,” Lily said firmly. “Mia is the mom. And Mr. ckwell…” She lifted her chin, meeting Alex’s unreadable gaze head–on. “…you’re the father.”

    The air felt thick.

    She could hear her own heartbeat in her ears. Nobody moved, nobody spoke. It was as if her words had sucked every sound out of the space.

    “She doesn’t know I’m here,” Lily continued quickly. “And I know she will hate me forever for doing this. But I’d like to believe… I’d like to believe I’m doing what’s best for him.” Her arms tightened around Aiden

    protectively, her voice trembling as she whispered, “He deserves more.”

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    Alex’s jaw flexed, but he said nothing. His eyes were still locked on the boy, wide and unblinking, like he was staring at proof of something he had never dared imagine.

    “Where is she now?” Jullian’s voice broke through the silence.

    Lily let out a short, sad chuckle, shaking her head. “Probably trying to call the police on me.”

    Esther gasped softly.

    “She must be freaking out,” Jullian muttered.

    “You should icall /iher.” Esther said “She should be here. Call her toe.”

    Lily nced down at Aiden again, brushing his hair gently, her chest tightening with guilt.

    Mia was probably tearing the world apart right now searching for her son.

    And yet, here she was, sitting in a conference room with the very man Mia had tried so hard to shield him from.

    Her throat burned as she held herself back from crying.

    She has told herself over and over that she was doing the right thing….

    Someday… maybe Mia would see that too.

    She reaches for her phone that probably has hundred missed calls by now.

    She stares at the screen for few seconds before dialing Mia’s number