Chapter 5 I Thought I Knew You

Chapter Five

Josh slammed the door behind him, and the sound echoed through the hallway like a final verdict. Hot tears blurred his vision as he stared down at the shredded drawing on the floor. His breath hitched. His chest tightened.

He knelt beside the torn pieces-trembling hands reaching out, then pulling back. That drawing had meant something once. A child's hope. A son's need. But now... now it was just pieces of paper and trash.

There were nights he used to imagine his mom walking through the door and wrapping her arms around him, cuddling him, reading to him. Nights he'd cry into his pillow, waiting for a warmth that never came. He used to believe she'd show up to his soccer games, cheering from the sidelines like the other moms or show up on school events and watch him perform. That she'd surprise him on his birthday with cake, balloons and gift.

But she never did.

She wasn't there. Not once.

And now she was back, thinking she could pick up the pieces like nothing had happened. Like showing up now could fix everything. Their mother and son bond shattered a long time ago.

He didn't mean what he said-about wishing she was dead. But the pain made the words sharp, and once they escaped his lips, they cut deep.

What hurt the most was knowing she had been alive all along. Living. Breathing. Smiling in someone else's world while he was left behind in his. Left without a mother.

At least his dad had tried. Showed up when he could. Bought gifts. Celebrated birthdays with him and the maids when time allowed. That was more than she had ever done.

Josh crawled back into bed, turning his face to the wall, trying to force the tears back in. He wasn't just angry.

He was broken.

And when your heart breaks, sometimes the only thing it knows how to do... is lash out.

_____________

It took five days more before Steve was released from the hospital. During that time, he said little. He moved through recovery in silence-numb, distracted, distant.

Once they returned home, Kate knew she couldn't avoid the truth anymore. She knew she had to tell him the little she knew before he lost it.

"I was with you at the hospital when Mia called," she began gently, sitting across from him. "She said it was urgent. She told me I had to come home."

Steve raised his eyes to meet hers, confusion and hurt swirling behind them.

"She said she had to leave," Kate continued. "That it was to protect us... from her ex-husband."

Steve blinked slowly. "Her what?"

Kate nodded solemnly. "Her ex. I was just as shocked. We've been best friends for eight years. She never said a word about being married."

Steve ran a hand through his hair and exhaled, visibly shaken.

"She didn't tell me where she was going," Kate said softly. "Only that we shouldn't try to find her. She said he's dangerous."

"Did she even love me?" Steve whispered. "Did Henry mean anything to her? Did I?"

"I believe she loved you," Kate said, her voice thick with emotion. "She might have lied about her past, but I know she loved you. And Henry. I'm sure of it."

Steve looked away, wiping a tear from his cheek.

Kate reached out, resting a hand on his arm. "You have to be strong-for Henry. He's been asking for her. I'll go check on him at Aunt Mary's."

As she stood to leave, she looked back at him. "Whatever the truth is... we'll get through it."

But Steve wasn't sure. All he knew was that he had loved Mia with everything he had. And now, he felt like a fool. He had bared his soul to someone who had been hiding hers the entire time.

No. He couldn't accept it. Not like this.

He would find her.

He had to.

He needed to hear the truth from her lips-to hear her say that none of it mattered.

Eileen tossed and turned all night, haunted by the look on Josh's face. His rage. His pain. The words he screamed still echoed in her mind.

She hadn't known her heart could break like this-over and over and over.

A quiet knock came at her door.

"Ma'am," came Mrs. Maya's soft voice.

Eileen opened the door, and the old woman slipped her a small folded note. She closed the door and rushed to the bathroom. Her fingers trembled as she unfolded the paper.

There's a blind spot between the cupboard and the kitchen back door.

Red ink. Quick and deliberate.

She flushed the note and made her way downstairs.

Mrs. Maya was already in the kitchen, waiting.

"You can speak here," she said. "It's safe."

"Are you sure?" Eileen whispered. "Where are the guards?"

"Out front," the older woman replied with a quiet smile. "They don't pay much attention to an old woman in the kitchen."

Eileen took a deep breath, then lowered her voice. "I have a son."

Mrs. Maya's eyes widened. "What?"

"I don't think José knows about him yet," Eileen said. "And I need to keep it that way."

"Oh, sweetheart," Maya said softly. "That poor child."

"I want to see them. Just to know they're okay," Eileen whispered, voice breaking. "But I can't risk José finding out. If he knows I had a child with another man..."

"He wouldn't spare him," Maya finished grimly. "He's worse than the devil. He wouldn't even hesitate."

Eileen's voice cracked. "It was my wedding. And they... they shot Steve in front of me. In front of everyone."

Tears streamed down her face.

Mrs. Maya handed her tissues, her own eyes misting. "Damn Mike," she muttered. "José would never have found you if not for him."

"What?" Eileen asked, shocked.

"They'd been tracking you across Canada but couldn't confirm your location with your new name. Then Mike sent your photos to his contacts over there. They searched everywhere for you but got no success. Then over two weeks ago, one of those contacts found your pre-wedding photoshoot on the internet. Once they verified it was you... José ordered the hit."

She poured Eileen a glass of cold juice. Her hand shook slightly.

"Whatever happens," she said quietly, "don't let him find out about your child. If he learns you had a son by someone else, he won't stop until that baby's dead."

Eileen's fingers curled into a fist.

She should've killed Mike when she had the chance. She should've ended it right there and then.

"Motherfucker," she whispered under her breath.