CHAPTER 6

“Mason… how did you even find—”

The words barely left my mouth before he took my hand and led me straight to his car parked outside.

“Mason…”

“Get in.”

The way he said it shut everything down. Whatever I wanted to ask stayed stuck in my throat.

I got into the back seat. He slid in beside me, the door closing with more force than necessary. He said nothing, staring ahead, his grip tightening around his phone as the silence dragged on. 

I waited, my pulse loud enough to fill the stillness between us.

Then he spoke, his voice low and controlled. “That boy in the hospital… he’s mine, isn’t he?”

My fingers pressed into my palm as I swallowed, my throat dry, the words refusing to come out.

He turned slightly, not fully facing me. “Let’s try this differently. The boy I saw in the hospital, is he your child? Did you give birth to him?”

“Yes,” I said, barely above a whisper.

He let out a breath through his nose. “Who’s the father?”

I closed my eyes briefly. There was nothing left to hide. “You… you’re his father.”

That was when he finally looked at me, like he was seeing me differently.

His gaze stayed on my face, steady, trying to make sense of what he’d just heard. His brows drew together, something off in the way he looked at me, like I didn’t match whatever picture he had in his head. He looked again, slower this time, his eyes moving over my face like he was searching for something he couldn’t find.

Then something in him settled. His jaw tightened, his eyes losing whatever softness had been there, turning colder, sharper.

“Mason… please, I’m sorry,” I rushed out. “Everything happened so fast back then. I’ll explain, I promise I will, but Lior…”

My voice wavered. “Lior is dying. We need to save him. Please… help me save him.”

I shook my head, words tumbling over each other. “I know I don’t deserve to ask you for anything, but please… I can’t lose him. He’s all I have.”

He kept staring at me, like he still hadn’t decided what to do with what he’d just heard. Then a short, humorless laugh left him.

“Are you serious right now?”

His voice rose, the control cracking. “Mia, you’re sitting here begging me,” he tapped his chest, “to save my own son? Are you even listening to yourself?”

I flinched. “Mason, please—”

“Stop.” His tone cut through me. “Don’t finish that sentence.”

He dragged a hand over his face, breathing out hard, like he was trying to keep himself in check. When he looked at me again, his expression had gone still, like he’d shut everything off.

“Do you believe in God?” he asked.

The question threw me off, but I nodded. “Yes.”

“Then pray,” he said quietly. “Pray like everything depends on it. Because if anything happens to that boy, you’ll regret the day you met me.”

A cold shiver ran through me.

“You’ve only seen the part of me that loved you,” he added. “If something goes wrong… you’ll meet what’s left.”

He closed his eyes, drawing in a slow breath before he spoke. “Get out.”

“Mason–”

“I said get out.”

There was no space left to argue. I opened the door and stepped out. Before I could move properly, the car pulled away, fast enough to leave nothing behind but the sound of it.

I stood there, my eyes fixed on where the car had just been.

“Lior…” I whispered.

I wiped my face and rushed back inside. I needed to get to the hospital.

The moment I stepped in, Ruben’s voice stopped me. “Who was that?”

“Some delivery guy. Wrong address.”

He studied me, his eyes narrowing. “Then why were you out there so long?”

The woman beside him smirked, her fingers tracing idle circles on his chest. “Maybe she was begging him for money.”

They laughed. I ignored them and turned toward the stairs.

“Where do you think you’re going?” Ruben asked, his voice sharper now.

“Ruben, not today. I need to go to the hospital. I need to see Lior.”

He raised a brow. “Without making dinner?”

My hands curled at my sides. “Please. Just order something tonight. It’s important.”

He looked at me like I had some nerve. “So your plan is to starve me and let me die before your son does?”

It came out all at once, before I could stop myself.

“What is wrong with you?!” I yelled, my voice shaking. “Where is your conscience? He may not be your son, but he’s still a child who looked at you like a father for years. You’ve refused to help, and fine. But don’t sit there and talk about him like that.”

The room went quiet.

“I’ll cook your dinner,” I added, holding his gaze. “I’ll do whatever you want. But don’t you ever wish death on my son again.”

Even the woman beside him stopped smiling. Ruben stared at me, surprised, like he didn’t recognize the person standing in front of him. I wasn’t sure I did either.

But Lior…

Lior had always been my limit. The line no one was allowed to cross.

Ruben let out a short laugh, shaking his head. “You’re losing it. I get it. Just hurry up. The faster you’re done, the faster you can leave.”