Chapter Four: The Truth Between Them

For five years, Elena Carter had imagined this moment.

Not exactly like this.

Not inside a billionaire's office.

Not with Damien Ashford looking at her like he was searching for a missing piece of himself.

And definitely not with him asking the one question she had spent years preparing herself to answer.

Is Noah my son?

The room suddenly felt too small.

Elena stared at Damien, trying to understand how they had gone from strangers to standing on the edge of a truth that could change everything.

Her first instinct was to leave.

To protect Noah.

To protect herself.

But her feet refused to move.

"Why are you asking me that?" she finally whispered.

Damien's expression remained unreadable, but his eyes betrayed the conflict inside him.

"Because I need to know."

Elena laughed softly.

Not because it was funny.

Because it hurt.

"You need to know?"

Her voice became sharper.

"Five years ago, I needed to know where you were. I needed to know why you never came back. I needed to know why the man who promised me everything disappeared without a word."

Damien went still.

The accusation should have angered him.

Instead, it felt like a punishment he deserved.

Because no matter what the truth was, he had hurt her.

"I don't remember."

The words left his mouth quietly.

Elena looked at him.

For a moment, anger disappeared.

Only confusion remained.

"What?"

Damien looked away briefly.

"Five years ago, I was involved in an accident."

She frowned.

"What does that have to do with me?"

"My memory was affected."

Silence.

Elena stared at him.

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I expect you to believe that I am trying to understand something I lost."

His voice was controlled, but there was something beneath it.

Frustration.

Pain.

Fear.

Elena noticed.

And she hated that part of her still recognized him.

Still cared.

"You don't remember me?"

Damien didn't answer immediately.

That was answer enough.

A bitter smile touched her lips.

"Of course."

She picked up her bag.

"I should have known."

"Elena."

Hearing her name stopped her.

Not because it was special.

Because of the way he said it.

Like he was trying to remember how it felt.

She turned back.

"Do not involve my son in whatever confusion you have."

Damien's expression changed.

Not anger.

Something else.

Concern.

"I would never hurt him."

"You don't know him."

"No."

His voice softened.

"But I want to."

Those words affected her more than she wanted them to.

Because for years, she had imagined Noah meeting his father.

She had imagined anger.

Rejection.

Pain.

She never imagined Damien looking at her son with genuine interest.

"I need time," she said.

Damien nodded.

For once, he didn't push.

"Take it."

Elena walked away.

But neither of them noticed the person standing outside the office.

Listening.

Watching.

And holding a phone with a message already typed.

Damien Ashford knows about the child.

---

That evening, Elena sat beside Noah's bed.

He was asleep, his small hand wrapped around the corner of his blanket.

She watched him quietly.

She had always wondered if she made the right choice.

Keeping Noah away from Damien.

Raising him alone.

Carrying the burden herself.

But what choice did she have?

She had searched for Damien.

She had tried to find him.

She had discovered nothing.

A child needed stability.

Not a father who might disappear again.

Her phone buzzed.

A message appeared.

Unknown number.

Elena frowned.

She opened it.

Her blood ran cold.

You should have stayed away from Ashford.

She stared at the screen.

A second message arrived.

You made a mistake bringing that child into his life.

Her breathing became shallow.

Someone knew.

Someone knew about Noah.

She immediately looked toward her sleeping son.

Fear moved through her body.

Not for herself.

Never for herself.

For him.

---

Across the city, Damien stood in the underground parking garage of Ashford Tower.

His driver had already left.

He needed silence.

He needed answers.

His phone rang.

Marcus.

"Did you find anything?"

There was hesitation on the other end.

Damien noticed immediately.

"What happened?"

"I accessed the old accident records."

"And?"

"They were altered."

Damien's jaw tightened.

"Altered?"

"Yes. Some files were removed. The investigation report was changed after the original submission."

A cold feeling settled over him.

Someone had not only hidden Elena.

They had hidden the accident.

"Who had access?"

Marcus paused.

"Only a few people."

Damien waited.

"Your family."

The word hit harder than expected.

His family.

The people he trusted.

The people who stood beside him after the accident.

The people who told him he had imagined the things he couldn't remember.

Damien looked up at the dark building above him.

For years, he believed losing his memories was an accident.

Now he wasn't sure anymore.

---

The next morning, Elena arrived at Ashford Tower with one purpose.

She needed answers.

She couldn't pretend everything was normal anymore.

She couldn't keep Noah's existence hidden while someone was threatening them.

The moment she entered the building, she saw Damien waiting.

As if he had expected her.

"You received a message."

It wasn't a question.

Elena stopped.

"How do you know?"

"Because someone sent one to me too."

Her eyes widened.

"What did it say?"

Damien handed her his phone.

She read the message.

Forget the woman. Forget the child. Or you will lose everything.

Elena looked up.

For the first time, they weren't enemies.

They were facing the same threat.

"Who would do this?"

Damien's expression darkened.

"I don't know."

Then he looked directly at her.

"But I intend to find out."

Before Elena could respond, Damien's phone rang.

He answered.

A few seconds later, his face changed.

"What happened?"

He listened silently.

Then:

"Send me the location."

He ended the call.

"What is it?" Elena asked.

Damien looked at her.

"The hospital."

Her heart dropped.

"What about the hospital?"

His voice was low.

"Someone accessed Noah's medical records."

Elena went pale.

Because suddenly, this was no longer about the past.

Someone was coming after their future.