Adrian stared at his mother as if he had never seen her before.
The restaurant went completely silent.
Emma slowly stood up, one hand pressed against the blood on her back.
“What did you say?”
Adrian’s mother, Margaret Blackwood, looked toward the cameras surrounding them.
Then toward Leo.
Her voice dropped.
“Turn those phones off.”
Adrian stepped between her and the crowd.
“No.”
His jaw tightened.
“You’re going to say it in front of everyone.”
Margaret’s face hardened.
“Emma was never good enough for this family.”
Emma flinched.
Adrian said nothing.
Margaret continued.
“When Leo was born, your grandfather threatened to remove you from the family trust if you stayed with her.”
Emma stared at Adrian.
“What?”
Margaret ignored her.
“So I made a decision.”
Adrian’s eyes went cold.
“What decision?”
Margaret looked directly at Emma.
“We told you your baby died.”
Emma covered her mouth.
Leo clung tighter to Adrian’s jacket.
“And we told Adrian that you ran away.”
Emma started crying.
Adrian took one slow step toward his mother.
“You stole my son from his mother.”
Margaret didn’t answer.
Victoria suddenly laughed nervously near the blocked exit.
“You still don’t understand.”
Everyone turned toward her.
Victoria opened her purse.
Then pulled out a small silver flash drive.
Margaret’s face changed instantly.
“Victoria.”
“Tell him,” Victoria said.
Margaret went pale.
Adrian looked between them.
“Tell me what?”
Victoria held up the drive.
“Your mother paid me to help separate you from Emma.”
Emma froze.
“But that wasn’t the worst part.”
Victoria smiled through tears.
“The hospital didn’t fake Leo’s death because your mother hated Emma.”
She looked directly at Adrian.
“They faked it because Leo’s DNA exposed something your family had hidden for thirty-eight years.”
Adrian stopped breathing.
Margaret whispered:
“Don’t.”
Victoria plugged the drive into a laptop sitting on a nearby table.
A document appeared.
Old hospital records.
DNA results.
Two names.
ADRIAN BLACKWOOD.
THOMAS BLACKWOOD.
Adrian looked confused.
“Thomas was my father.”
Victoria shook her head.
“No.”
She pointed at the screen.
“He wasn’t.”
Margaret suddenly rushed toward the laptop.
Emma grabbed her wrist.
“Enough!”
Leo began crying again.
Adrian read the report.
Then his face slowly collapsed.
The man he had buried as his father wasn’t biologically related to him.
He turned toward Margaret.
“Who is my real father?”
Margaret said nothing.
But Emma suddenly stared toward the private dining room at the back of the restaurant.
An elderly man had been standing there the entire time.
Watching.
Adrian followed her gaze.
The stranger slowly stepped forward.
Silver hair.
Dark suit.
Same gray-green eyes as Leo.
Adrian went completely still.
Margaret whispered:
“Oh God.”
The elderly man looked at Adrian and said:
“I think it’s time you knew why they tried to erase your son.”
Adrian stared at him.
“Who are you?”
The man smiled sadly.
Then answered:
“I’m your father.”
But before Adrian could react, Victoria screamed from behind them:
“HE’S LYING!”
Everyone turned.
And she added:
“Because Adrian’s real father is already sitting at this table.”
