CHAPTER 6

The sun was bright when Damien and I reached the park. He held my hand until we stepped onto the grass, then he let go and ran ahead, full of energy. His laugh carried through the air as he darted toward the swings, then the slide, and then the sandbox. I kept my eyes on him, sitting down on a bench with my bag beside me.

“Stay where I can see you,” I called out.

“Okay, Mom,” he shouted back, already digging into the sand with his small hands.

I smiled faintly, though a tightness remained in my chest. Saturdays in the park had become our small escape. No questions, no worries, just the two of us. Or at least that was how I wanted it to be.

Damien paused suddenly. His eyes focused on something across the sandbox. I followed his gaze. A little girl, about his age, knelt on the other side, carefully shaping a small sandcastle with a plastic bucket. She had a crown of dark hair tied back with a ribbon, her face serious and determined as she worked. Damien tilted his head, then stood up and walked straight toward her without hesitation.

“Hi,” he said, his voice bright. “I like your castle.”

She looked up, her eyes wide, then smiled. “Thanks. You can help if you want.”

He sat beside her, scooping sand into his hands. Within seconds, they were laughing, arguing about towers and moats, already acting like they had known each other for years. Something about the way they leaned toward one another, how naturally they fit side by side, made my stomach twist.

I froze. My chest constricted. I knew that face. Not the boyish one, but the girl’s. I had seen her once, wrapped in a blanket, crying in the hospital. My daughter. The child I left behind.

Diana. Of course, I recognize her face from the interview.

My throat closed, and I pressed my hand against my chest, trying to breathe. Watching them together felt surreal. They looked almost identical in small details, the same curve of their mouths, the same spark in their eyes. Twins. Drawn to each other without knowing why. My heart broke and healed all at once as I sat rooted to the bench, unable to move.

Damien clapped his hands. “Look, Mom! We made a castle together.”

I forced a smile. “It’s beautiful, baby.” My voice shook, but he didn’t notice.

The girl giggled. “It’s not finished yet. We need a big wall so no one knocks it down.”

“Yeah,” Damien agreed, “a wall. I’ll make it strong.”

Their laughter rang across the sandbox. I felt tears press against my eyes, but I blinked them away. I could not cry here. Not now.

Then I heard it. A voice, firm and sharp, cutting through the sounds of the park. “Diana!”

My entire body went cold. I would know that voice anywhere. I turned, and there he was, striding across the grass. Liam Reynolds. Tall, commanding, dressed in a dark suit that made him stand out among the parents in casual clothes. His eyes scanned the playground until they landed on the girl.

Diana jumped up. “Daddy!” She ran to him, sand clinging to her hands. He bent down, his face tight.

“I told you not to go too far,” he said, his tone low.

“But I wasn’t alone,” she replied quickly. “I was playing with my new friend.”

Liam straightened, and only then did his gaze shift. He saw Damien, standing a little behind Diana. And then his eyes lifted to me.

For a heartbeat, the world stopped. His expression hardened, then flickered with recognition. His lips parted, just slightly. “Ava Morales.”

The name hit me like a stone. He remembered. My pulse raced, my hands trembling on the bench.

“Daddy, this is Damien,” Diana said proudly, tugging on his sleeve. “He helped me build a castle.”

Damien stepped forward, his small chest puffed out. “Hi. I’m Damien.”

Liam’s eyes lingered on him, studying his face, his features. Too long, too carefully. My stomach knotted. He was seeing it, even if he didn’t understand yet. The resemblance. The truth hiding in plain sight.

“Hello, Damien,” Liam said finally, his voice quieter. Then his gaze returned to me, sharper now. “I see you’ve met my daughter.”

My mouth went dry. “Yes,” I managed. “They seemed to get along, they refused to stop playing.”

Diana chimed in, holding Damien’s hand. “Can we stay longer, Daddy? Please?”

“Yeah, please,” Damien echoed, looking up at me with wide eyes.

I hesitated, panic rising in my chest. Every instinct screamed to pull him away, to leave before Liam could piece anything together. But Diana clung to Damien’s hand, and Damien looked happier than I had ever seen him. My heart cracked under the weight of it.

Liam studied me in silence for a moment, then nodded curtly. “Fine. Ten more minutes.”

The children cheered and ran back to the sandbox. I exhaled shakily, my hands gripping my knees. But before I could gather myself, Liam stepped closer, his presence looming over me.

“Daddy,” Diana called out suddenly, running back with Damien by her side. “Can Damien come over to our house? Please, please, please?”

Damien echoed her plea. “Please, Mom. Just for a little while.”

My heart pounded. Liam glanced at me, one brow raised, as if daring me to answer. The weight of his gaze pressed down on me, and the children’s hopeful eyes made it harder to breathe.

“We’ll see,” Liam said smoothly, saving me from replying. “Maybe another time.”

The children groaned in unison, but he silenced them with a look. Diana pouted but didn’t argue. Then they scrured off and went back to play.

Now it was left with just us.

Liam called my name. “Ava Morales.”

I froze. My chest tightened.

“You are the research analyst I hired,” he said, his voice calm but firm, precise.

“Yes,” I said, swallowing. “I am.”

He glanced at Damien. “That is your son?”

I nodded. “Yes. Damien.” My throat was dry.

He studied me for a long moment. “He is very handsome.”

“Thank you,” I said, forcing a smile, trying to keep my voice steady. I glanced toward his daughter, Diana, my daughter. I felt the pang in my chest. She was running toward the sandbox, laughing, her hair bouncing with every step. “Your daughter is… lively. She made quite an impression during the interview.”

Liam’s lips curved briefly. “Thank you.”

I shifted, aware of the weight of his gaze. It was not casual. It measured me, analyzed me.

“Maybe we should go,” I suggested, forcing calm into my tone. “I think Damien’s had enough play for now.”

“No,” Liam said. “Let them finish. Ten minutes are not over yet.”

I shrugged, forcing myself to relax, though the tension in my shoulders did not ease.

He watched the children for a moment, then turned back to me. “Are you uncomfortable?”

“No… not really… maybe a little,” I admitted, my voice catching.

He tilted his head, eyes sharp. “Because I am your boss?”

“No, that is not it,” I said quickly.

His gaze lingered, unblinking, and I felt exposed. Then he returned his attention to the children. Diana had scooped up a handful of sand and rubbed it along Damien’s arm.

“Hey, princess. That is not nice,” Liam said firmly.

“We are just playing!” Diana protested, giggling.

I smiled weakly. “Yes. Careful, both of you.”

Liam watched the children for a long moment, then looked back at me. “You are handling this well,” he said, almost approvingly.

I nodded, but my stomach twisted. I wanted to run, to escape, but I stayed, forcing my expression calm. “I try,” I said. “I want Damien to have fun.”

He studied me for a long moment, and I felt every second stretch, unbearable. He has recognized me. He must have.

“Interesting,” he said softly. “You have a son… and here I thought only my daughter had this much energy.”

I forced a laugh. “Damien keeps me on my toes.”

He nodded slowly, still observing, still searching. “Yes. He does not sit still either. I see the resemblance in their stubborn streaks.”

I laughed, lighter this time, hiding my panic. He cannot know. He cannot figure it out. Not now.

The children ran past us, calling and laughing, building castles in the sand. Liam’s eyes followed them, then returned to me. I felt the tension crackle in the air.

He glanced at the children again, then back at me. “You seem familiar,” he said again, slower this time. “Have we… met before the office? Somewhere else, maybe?”

I froze. My heart felt like it stopped. I forced my voice calm. “No. We haven’t met before.”

He tilted his head, eyes locking on mine. “You really do look familiar. I cannot place it.”

Oh no, I thought. He has recognized me. He is trying to find the truth. He knows something.

Liam’s eyes did not leave mine. The words hung between us, unspoken yet heavy.

One wrong move. One word. That is all it would take.

And in that moment, I knew everything had changed. Whatever happened next, the truth I carried, the secret I had fought to protect was dangerously close to being exposed.