Ten Years and a Secret Son

I trailed him all the way to Brooklyn, where he pulled up to a charming townhouse. I took a deep breath, about to get out of the car, when a child's laughter echoed from inside.

A moment later, a woman's gentle voice followed. "Sweetheart, stop messing around. Go put away the Christmas present Daddy got you."

My blood ran cold.

"Daddy?"

My finger hovered over the doorbell, frozen.

A moment later, a voice I knew all too well drifted from inside—Caleb, his tone sickeningly warm and doting.

"Alright, I promise. We'll go to Central Park next week and ride the carousel."

I stumbled back, leaning against the cold brick wall as my legs gave out. My phone slipped from my numb fingers, the screen shattering on the pavement. A fitting metaphor.

I took a long, steadying breath and rang the doorbell.

The door swung open, and a little boy poked his head out. He had round cheeks and curious, sparkling eyes. The boy from the photos. He glanced at me and shouted over his shoulder, "Mom, someone's here!"

A moment later, a ghost from my past appeared in the doorway—Sloane Fischer, my college roommate.

She froze, her eyes widening in shock. "Avery? What a coincidence. How did you know I lived here?"

"Get Caleb out here," I said, my voice dangerously calm. The audacity of her, pretending she had no idea.

The living room behind her went dead silent.

Sloane’s face hardened, and she blocked the entrance. "Caleb? Why would he be here? You must have the wrong place."

She paused, then lowered her voice to a hiss. "There's a child here. Don't make a scene."

Just then, a figure emerged from the shadows of the living room.

"Avery… please, let me explain…" Caleb’s voice trembled as he took a hesitant step toward me.

But the way he postured, playing the victim in our broken marriage, turned my stomach.

"We'll talk at home," I said, my voice ice.

The moment we stepped through our front door, Caleb dropped to his knees with a thud. His voice shook. "Avery, I'm begging you… let me explain…"

I cut him off, my voice so steady it startled me. "Explain what? That the child isn't yours?"

He scrambled forward, grabbing my hand, his eyes welling with tears. "I was wrong, Avery… I'm so, so sorry… It was Sloane—she set me up at a party! I was drunk… I didn't know what was happening! When she told me she was pregnant, I told her to get an abortion, but she threatened to kill herself."

"She promised she would never bother us if I just let her keep the baby…"

"And after the child was born?" I pressed.

"I was forced!" Caleb's voice suddenly cracked with indignation. "My mother forced me to! She kept saying the Prescotts needed an heir to carry on the family name! And you were so adamant about not wanting children—what was I supposed to do?!"

Each word was a shard of ice driving straight into my heart.