Chapter 4: Five Years Later

Tracy POV:

"Mom! Hurry! We're going to be late!" Samuel shouted as he ran through our small apartment with his oversized backpack bouncing on his shoulders. I smiled and answered,

"I'm coming."

He stood by the front door with his hands on his hips. "You said that five minutes ago." I laughed.

"Now you're starting to sound like my father." He smiled. "I don't know Grandpa."

I nodded. "Exactly." He laughed proudly. "Then I'm being original."

I walked over and straightened his messy brown hair. "You forgot to button your shirt." He gave me a cheeky grin. "I was just checking if you were paying attention." I smiled. "Oh, really?"

He nodded. "I passed, didn't I?" "You sure did." I buttoned his shirt, kissed his forehead, and smiled. "There, my handsome little gentleman."

Samuel hugged my waist tightly. "I love you, Mommy." I hugged him back. "I love you more." He quickly shook his head. "No. That's impossible." I laughed. "Is it?" "Yep."

Every morning with Samuel reminded me why I never gave up.

Five years ago, I lost the man I thought I would spend my life with, but I was also given the greatest blessing I could ever have, my son.

Life was far from perfect. Money was always short, our apartment was still small, and I worked long hours as a music teacher at Maple Grove Elementary. Some nights, I stayed awake wondering how I would pay the rent for the next month. But every time Samuel smiled at me, all the hard days felt worth it.

"Mom?" Samuel called softly. "Hmm?" I answered. "Today's Family Day." I smiled and nodded. "I know."

He looked at me with hope in his eyes. "You'll be there, right?" "Of course," I replied without thinking.

Then he looked down at his shoes and said quietly, "But everyone else's dad is coming too."

His words hurt more than he could ever know. After a moment, he asked, "Do you think my dad knows I exist?"

My throat tightened, and the truth stayed trapped inside me. Your father doesn't know, because I never told him.

Instead, I knelt until we were looking at each other. "Your dad loved you before you were even born," I said gently. Samuel frowned.

"Then why isn't he here?" I carefully brushed the hair away from his forehead and searched for the right words. "Sometimes, grown-ups make mistakes they wish they could take back."

Samuel stayed quiet for a moment before asking, "So he's not a bad person?"

I closed my eyes for a second. Even after five years, I still couldn't bring myself to hate Noah.

"He wasn't always the man people believe he is," I answered softly. Samuel smiled, his eyes full of hope.

"Maybe one day I'll meet him." I forced a small smile. "Maybe." But deep inside my heart, I prayed that day would never happen.

Across the city, Noah sat in his office. "Absolutely not," I said without looking up from the contract on my desk. My assistant, Claire, let out a tired sigh.

"You've turned down every charity event this year." I kept reading. "I already donated."

She placed another folder in front of me. "They also want you to attend." I barely looked at it.

"They'll be fine." Claire didn't give up. "This one is different." I gave her a tired look.

"They're all different." She pointed to the folder. "It's for Maple Grove Elementary."

That finally made me look up. "So?"

She answered, "The children are raising money for a new music program." I replied, "I already sent the donation."

Claire shook her head. "They want you to hand it over in person."

I leaned back in my chair. "I have meetings." She looked at me. "You already canceled two of them."

"I replaced them with work." Claire crossed her arms. "You've become impossible." I raised an eyebrow. "I prefer efficiency." She smiled faintly. "No, you prefer being lonely."

Claire wasn't afraid to speak the truth, even when no one else would.

"You've built one of the biggest companies in the country," she said as she looked around my large office.

"You have money, success, and power, but you don't have a life."

I looked away because I knew she was right. My office had become my home, and work had become the only way to stop thinking about Tracy.

Claire gently pushed the invitation toward me. "Just one hour." I stared at the words Maple Grove Elementary. For some reason, the name felt strangely familiar. Without knowing why, I picked up my pen. "I'll go."

Claire looked surprised. "Really?"

I gave her a warning look. "Don't make me change my mind." She smiled.

"I'll let the school know." After she left, I stood by the window, staring outside. For the first time in years, I couldn't understand why my heart suddenly felt so uneasy.

Back at the school, children ran around the playground laughing while parents filled the hallways with homemade cakes and colorful balloons. The whole school was full of excitement.

I carried a tray of cupcakes as I looked for Samuel's classroom.

"Mom!" he shouted, running toward me with a bright smile. "I made something for you."

He proudly held out a handmade card with big colorful letters that read, BEST MOM EVER. My eyes filled with tears as I smiled. "It's beautiful."

He pointed at two stick figures on the card. "That's us, and that's our apartment." I smiled warmly. "It's perfect."

He lowered his voice. "No it would be perfect if there were three people." My heart skipped a beat. He quickly looked away.

"I mean never mind." I gently squeezed his shoulder. "Come on. Let's hang your artwork."

As we turned the corner, I suddenly froze. A tall man in a perfectly tailored black suit stood in the hallway. He had broad shoulders, dark hair, and piercing blue eyes. Noah Kingston.

Five years had changed him. He looked older, more serious, and his face was sharper, but I would have recognized him anywhere.

For a long moment, neither of us moved. His eyes locked onto mine, and shock filled his face.

"Tracy?" he whispered, as if he couldn't believe it. I couldn't breathe. My fingers tightened around Samuel's hand. "Mom?" Samuel asked softly as he looked up at me.

"Do you know him?" Before I could answer, Noah slowly walked toward us. Every step echoed through the quiet hallway until he stopped only a few feet away.

His voice was softer than I remembered. "It really is you." I forced myself to nod. "Hello, Noah."

Neither of us noticed the little boy looking back and forth between us with curious eyes. Neither of us realized that fate had finally caught up with the secret we had both been living with, and everything was only just beginning.