Chapter 2

Ethan' s black SUV cut through the decaying Pennsylvania town like a predator. Rust-eaten cars lined the cracked streets, and boarded-up storefronts stared back like hollow eyes. He pulled up to the house he' d bought for me, the one I never truly lived in. The paint was peeling, the porch was sagging, and the yard was a mess of overgrown weeds.

It was a perfect monument to his neglect.

He got out of the car, his expensive suit a stark contrast to the surrounding poverty. He didn' t knock. He shoved the door open and stormed inside, his security detail following close behind.

"Jocelyn!" he bellowed into the dusty air.

The house was empty, stripped of everything but dust and shadows. An old man stepped out from the house next door, his face etched with the weariness of a long, hard life. It was Barney Hughes, the retired sheriff.

"She ain' t here, Mr. Lester," Barney said, his voice calm but firm.

Ethan spun around, his eyes locking onto the old man.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Name' s Barney Hughes. I was the sheriff here. I knew your wife."

"Then you can tell me where she' s hiding," Ethan snapped. "This game is over. Tell her Nicole is sick. She needs a heart transplant, and Jocelyn is going to get tested. If she cooperates, I' ll bring her back to New York. She can have the life she always wanted."

Barney' s expression didn' t change. "I told your boy on the phone. Jocelyn is dead. She' s been dead for five years."

"Lies," Ethan hissed. He turned to his men. "Search the town. Every house, every bar, every damn shed. I want her found."

The men moved out, their presence a wave of intimidation spreading through the quiet community. Doors were kicked in, and people were dragged from their homes. I watched, a powerless phantom, as the town that had shown me kindness was terrorized in my name.

Just then, a small boy ran out from behind Barney, placing himself between the old sheriff and Ethan. It was Matthew. My Matthew. He had my eyes, but his jaw was a perfect copy of Ethan' s.

"Leave him alone!" Matthew cried, his small body trembling.

Ethan stared down at the boy. He saw the resemblance, the ghost of his own features staring back at him. But his mind, poisoned by Nicole' s lies, twisted the truth into something ugly. He believed I had cheated on him.

"Get this bastard out of my sight," Ethan sneered, his voice dripping with contempt.

He took a step toward Matthew, his face a mask of cruel intent.

"You tell your mother that I' ll keep searching. And if I don' t find her, I' ll come back for you. We' ll see how long she stays hidden when her little bastard is in danger."

Matthew flinched as if struck. Barney quickly pulled the boy behind him, shielding him with his own body.

"You' re a monster," Barney said, his voice low and shaking with rage.

"I' m a man who gets what he wants," Ethan replied, turning his back on them. "Find her."

As he walked away, I floated closer to my son, my spectral form aching to comfort him. He didn' t cry. He just stood there, his small hands clenched into fists, his eyes filled with a quiet, resilient hatred for the man he had never met, the man who was his father.