005

Ashton's POV.

I almost didn’t believe my eyes.

Four years. Four damn years of searching, of frustration, of hitting dead ends. And now, here she was. Standing in the middle of the airport, looking even more breathtaking than I ever remembered.

Lily.

My chest tightened. I had imagined this moment a thousand times, but not like this. She wasn’t supposed to appear out of nowhere, dressed in that elegant suit, her hair neatly styled, confidence radiating off her like a shield. She wasn’t supposed to look right past me like I was a complete stranger.

I barely heard my P.A. speaking beside me. My mind tuned out everything else…the purpose of my visit here, the men standing at my sides, the business associate we were waiting to receive. All of it blurred into the background the second I saw her.

And then, my eyes shifted to the child holding her hand.

A boy. No older than four.

Something sharp lodged itself in my chest. I felt it in my throat, thick and suffocating. My brain scrambled for logic, for reason. Maybe I was hallucinating. Maybe I was seeing things because I had thought about her too much. But the resemblance…the sharp eyes, the shape of his face…was impossible to ignore.

I took a step forward. Then another. Before I knew it, my feet carried me straight toward her, my pulse thundering. She was close enough now that I could see the way her lips pressed together, the way her eyelashes fluttered as she glanced around, completely unfazed by my presence.

“Lily.”

My voice came out rough, uneven. A name I hadn’t spoken in years, a name that had haunted me like a ghost.

But she didn’t react.

Not a single muscle in her face moved. She continued walking as if she hadn’t heard me at all, as if I didn’t exist. Like I was invisible.

Something inside me snapped.

I stepped in front of her, blocking her path, my body tense, my heartbeat pounding in my ears. The boy’s tiny fingers curled around hers as he gazed up at me with wide, curious eyes.

Lily’s eyes finally met mine. Cold. Distant. Unmoved.

She regarded me the same way one might look at an unimportant object in their way…an obstacle to step around, not worth a second thought.

Then, in the most detached, professional tone I had ever heard from her, she said, “Mister, you’re in my way.”

Mister.

Not Ashton.

Not even a sign of recognition.

The way she said it…calm, indifferent, as if she was speaking to a complete stranger…sent a rush of heat to my head.

I opened my mouth, but no words came out.

She had changed.

Not just in appearance. Not just in the way she carried herself. But in the way she looked at me, through me. Like I was no one.

Something dark twisted in my chest, something ugly and restless.

A black car pulled up beside her. Two men stepped forward, efficiently loading her bags into the trunk. She barely acknowledged them. She barely acknowledged me.

Without hesitation, she reached for the car door, leading the little boy forward with a firm yet gentle grip.

My hands clenched. I should have said something, should have demanded an answer, should have forced her to acknowledge me. But I was frozen, locked in place, watching her slip right through my fingers.

And then, just as she was about to get in, the little boy looked up at her and asked,

“Mommy, who is that?”

Everything inside me stopped.

The world around me ceased to exist.

Mommy.

The boy was hers.

And if my math was correct…

Four years.

Four years ago was the last time I saw Lily. Four years ago was when I…

My stomach twisted. My mind raced, trying to catch up with the brutal reality crashing down on me.

I took a step forward, my voice raw. “Lily!”

The car door shut. The vehicle pulled away.

I could only stand there, stunned, watching as the little boy popped his head out of the window, his big, curious eyes locking onto mine.

Eyes that looked too damn familiar.

Something didn’t seem right.

Something was very, very wrong.

…

The black car disappeared into the flow of airport traffic, leaving behind nothing but the dull ache pounding in my chest.

I barely registered the murmured greetings around me as our business associate finally arrived. A tall, sharp-dressed man extended his hand, speaking in polished, formal tones, but his words barely penetrated the fog clouding my mind.

My P.A. nudged me subtly, a reminder to pull myself together. I forced my expression back into something remotely professional, shaking the man’s hand with the confidence expected of me.

The formalities unfolded in a blur…introductions, pleasantries, discussions about the upcoming meeting. My responses were automatic, my body present, but my mind was miles away.

With Lily.

With that boy.

The boy who looked too much like me to be a coincidence.

My fingers twitched. The realization sat like a heavy stone in my stomach. If he was mine… If Lily had kept him from me all these years…

“Sir?”

James, my P.A., spoke up as we moved toward the waiting vehicles.

I exhaled sharply, rubbing my temple. “Handle the arrangements,” I said briskly. “Get him to the hotel, ensure everything is taken care of.”

James nodded, well aware of what I meant. He would oversee the hospitality, the security, the formalities. It was his job to handle the logistics. But right now, I had more important matters to deal with.

I turned to him, my voice low but firm. “I need you to find out everything you can about Lily Evans. Where she lives. Where she works. Who she associates with.”

James blinked, his usual professional demeanor faltering just slightly. “Lily Evans?”

“Yes,” I said, sharper this time. “I want details. Everything. And I want it fast.”

He hesitated, then nodded. “Understood, sir.”

I moved toward my car, but before stepping inside, I paused, exhaling slowly. My hands clenched at my sides.

Four years.

Four years she had been gone. Four years she had stayed hidden. Four years she had let me believe she had vanished off the face of the earth.

And now, I had every intention of finding out why.

And if the boy was mine…

Lily Evans wouldn't be able to ignore me for much longer.