Chapter 7 - The Question He Was Afraid to Ask

Ethan Blackwood did not sleep that night. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the boy’s face, the way Leo frowned in concentration, the quiet confidence in his posture, the unmistakable familiarity that clawed at Ethan’s chest.

Five years old. Five years since Serena had vanished. The timing was too perfect to ignore. And yet… he was afraid. Afraid of the answer to the question forming relentlessly in his mind.

The following morning, Ethan canceled three meetings.

“Clear my afternoon,” he told his assistant. “No interruptions.”

He sat alone in his office, staring at the city below, replaying Serena’s warning again and again.

Stay away from us.

Us. Not him. Not the past.

Us.

The word echoed. Ethan picked up his phone, typed Serena’s name… then deleted it.

He didn’t deserve a conversation. Not yet.

Across the city, Serena felt the tension settle like a weight on her shoulders.

Leo sat at the kitchen table, carefully finishing his breakfast, swinging his legs absentmindedly.

“Mom,” he said suddenly, “why was that man at my school yesterday?”

Serena stilled.

“What man?” she asked gently.

“The one who kept looking at me,” Leo replied. “He looked sad.”

Her grip tightened around her mug.

“Some people look sad when they remember things,” she said calmly. “It has nothing to do with you.”

Leo nodded, satisfied with the answer, and went back to eating.

But Serena’s appetite vanished. Ethan knew. Maybe not completely, but enough. She had always known this day would come. She had just hoped for more time.

That afternoon, Serena arrived at her office to find an unfamiliar envelope waiting on her desk. No sender. Just her name. Her pulse quickened as she opened it. Inside was a single document. A copy of Leo’s birth certificate.

Her jaw tightened. No note. No demand. Just a silent message.

I know.

She folded the paper slowly and placed it back into the envelope. He had crossed the line.

Ethan stood outside her office that evening, jaw set, resolve hardening with every second that passed.

When Serena stepped out of the elevator and saw him, she didn’t stop.

“You shouldn’t be here,” she said flatly.

“We need to talk,” Ethan replied.

“You lost that right,” she said, unlocking her car.

“Is he mine?”

The words fell between them, heavy and irrevocable.

Serena froze as she slowly, she turned to face him.

“You don’t get to ask that,” she said, her voice dangerously calm.

“I need to know,” Ethan said, stepping closer. “I deserve....”

“You deserved to care five years ago,” she cut in. “You deserved to ask questions before you signed divorce papers and walked away.”

His fists clenched. “Tell me the truth.”

She met his gaze head-on.

“The truth is,” Serena said evenly, “you are not part of my son’s life.”

Son.

The word hit him harder than confirmation ever could have.

“You didn’t deny it,” Ethan said hoarsely.

“I don’t owe you denial,” she replied.

Silence stretched, sharp and brittle.

“I won’t disappear again,” Ethan said. “I won’t pretend I didn’t see him.”

Serena stepped closer, her voice low and unwavering.

“Then you will respect my boundaries,” she said. “You will not approach him. You will not investigate him. And you will not try to insert yourself into his life.”

“And if I don’t?” Ethan asked quietly.

Her eyes hardened.

“Then I will destroy every illusion you still have about power,” Serena said. “Because this time, I’m not protecting myself.”

“I’m protecting my child.”

Something in her expression told him she meant every word.

That night, Ethan poured himself a drink he didn’t touch. The truth no longer frightened him.

What terrified him was the realization that Serena had lived five years without him building a life, raising a child, becoming someone untouchable and he had missed all of it.

Across the city, Serena tucked Leo into bed.

“Mom,” he murmured sleepily, “do you think people can change?”

She brushed his hair back gently.

“Yes,” she said softly. “But change doesn’t always mean they get a second chance.”

As she turned off the light, Serena stood in the doorway for a long moment.

The past had finally caught up with them, and from this point on, there would be consequences.