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Chapter 5 - Chapter 5 : The Secret Between Us

The morning sunlight slanted through the hotel windows, spilling across Liam's bare back. He was still asleep, his hand resting where I'd once been curled against him. The previous night lingered in the air—hot, breathless, and tangled with things we both left unsaid.

I stood at the edge of the bed, clutching the silk robe tight around my body. My heart wasn't just heavy—it was a ticking time bomb.

Because I had decided.

I would tell him the truth.

About Eli.

About that night three years ago.

About everything.

But first, I needed him to see me—not just as his fake fiancée, not as the woman he couldn't stop wanting, but as the mother of the child he didn't know he had.

I padded to the living room, retrieved my phone, and opened the photo album. Eli's smiling face stared back at me, gap-toothed and glowing. I scrolled to the video he'd recorded last week on my birthday.

"Hi Mommy! I miss you! I saved you the blue jelly beans because they're your favorite. Did you know I can tie my shoes now? I love you, Mommy!"

Tears filled my eyes.

A sudden sound made me turn. Liam stood at the threshold, shirtless, watching me.

His voice was husky from sleep. "Is that your little brother?"

I startled. "What?"

He nodded at the photo still on my screen. "The kid. He looks like you."

I hesitated, then slowly lowered the phone. "No. He's my son."

A beat of silence.

"Your son?" he repeated. "You never mentioned a child."

"I wasn't ready to."

Something flickered in his eyes—shock, confusion, maybe even hurt. "How old is he?"

"Three."

His brows drew together. "Three?"

My heart pounded. "Liam..."

But he was already stepping back. "That's why you were so on edge when we met again. That night at the bar… it wasn't just a coincidence, was it?"

"I didn't know who you were until I saw you again at Grayson Tech. I swear."

He stared at me like I was a stranger. "So you've been hiding my son from me this whole time?"

"I was nineteen. You disappeared before I woke up. No name. No number. I didn't even know your full name until three months ago."

He sat down heavily on the couch, rubbing his hands over his face. "Jesus, Ava. A child?"

I moved closer. "His name is Eli. He's smart and kind and brave. And he looks just like you when he's thinking too hard."

Liam looked up, his eyes stormy. "You should've told me the moment you knew."

"I wanted to protect him. I didn't know what kind of man you were, and I didn't want him dragged into corporate drama or become some pawn in a boardroom war."

His jaw tightened. "He's my blood. You don't get to decide alone."

"I know," I whispered. "That's why I'm telling you now."

He stood and walked to the window, staring down at the skyline. "I need time."

The words sliced me open.

But I nodded. "Okay."

***

We flew back to New York the next day. The private jet was quiet—tense and cold. No lingering touches. No shared looks. Just silence.

When we landed, a black SUV waited for us. I slid into the backseat first. Liam followed, his expression unreadable.

"I want to meet him," he said finally.

"I know."

"I'm not ready to forgive you."

"I don't expect you to."

"But I need to know my son."

I turned to him. "He needs to know you, too."

His eyes locked on mine. "No more secrets, Ava."

I nodded. "No more."

***

Eli was staying with my sister, Marissa, in Brooklyn. I called ahead and asked her to bring him to the park near Prospect Lake—the one with the giant pirate ship slide he loved.

As Liam and I approached, I spotted him instantly—running in circles, superhero cape flapping behind him.

Liam stopped dead in his tracks.

"That's him?" he asked.

"Yes."

He took a breath. "He looks… like me."

I smiled. "He acts like you, too. Stubborn and brilliant."

Eli saw me and squealed. "Mommy!"

I crouched to hug him. "Hey, baby."

He pulled back. "You came back early!"

"I brought someone with me."

Liam crouched slowly beside us. "Hi, Eli."

My son tilted his head. "Who are you?"

"I'm Liam," he said softly. "I'm… a friend of your mom's."

Eli gave him a long stare, then grinned. "You look like me."

Liam let out a breathless laugh. "Yeah. I guess I do."

They sat together, talking about dinosaurs and jelly beans and how Eli was learning to whistle. I stood back, watching the two halves of my world finally meet.

It should've felt like healing.

But I couldn't ignore the shadow creeping toward us.

Because when I returned to the office later that afternoon, security was waiting.

"Ava Sinclair?" the guard asked.

"Yes?"

"You're being placed on administrative leave pending investigation."

My stomach dropped. "What?"

"You've been linked to the recent breach of proprietary files. You're being escorted off-site immediately."

Miranda's smirk from across the lobby was impossible to miss.

This wasn't over.

Not by a long shot.

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