Chapter 5 - The Mafia Boss Discovered His Daughter's Mother Had Helped Fake Her Death—But the Little Boy in the Hospital Recognized the One Man Everyone Thought Was DeadBy sunrise, Kieran Blackwood had learned that the woman he once loved had helped fake their daughter's death.
He didn't shout.
He didn't throw anything.
He simply stood in the library, staring at the photograph of Evelyn.
Then he whispered:
“She let me bury a child.”
I stood beside him.
I didn't know what to say.
There were no words large enough for that kind of betrayal.
Kieran turned toward me.
“Do you know what I did after the funeral?”
I shook my head.
“I stopped sleeping.”
His voice was flat.
“I searched every report. Every witness statement. Every security recording.”
He swallowed.
“I blamed Calder. I blamed Elias. I blamed myself.”
He looked toward the window.
“And all that time, Isabelle knew.”
My chest tightened.
“Kieran—”
“She knew.”
His voice broke.
I reached for his hand.
He didn't pull away.
That afternoon, investigators located a property connected to the Evelyn Mercer trust.
It was a secluded house near the Catskills.
The ownership records were complicated.
The security system was expensive.
And the property had been supplied by companies associated with Vincent Calder.
Kieran wanted to go immediately.
I stopped him.
“You don't know who's inside.”
He stared at me.
“My daughter might be there.”
“I know.”
“Then you understand why I have to go.”
I took a breath.
“Yes.”
His expression softened.
“But you also understand that Mateo is being threatened by the same people.”
Kieran looked away.
I stepped closer.
“If you walk into a trap, what happens to Evelyn?”
He said nothing.
“What happens to Mateo?”
His jaw tightened.
I took his hand.
“We need a plan that doesn't depend on you surviving a gunfight.”
For a moment, he stared at me.
Then he laughed bitterly.
“You make it sound so simple.”
“It's not simple.”
I squeezed his hand.
“But it's necessary.”
The police searched the Catskills property.
It was empty.
But they found children's clothes.
Books.
Medical records.
And a wall covered with photographs.
Evelyn at five.
Evelyn at six.
Evelyn at seven.
Evelyn at eight.
The photographs were dated over several years.
Kieran stared at them when investigators showed us the images.
His hands began shaking.
I watched his face.
Hope.
Fear.
Disbelief.
Then he whispered:
“She's alive.”
This time, there was more than a message.
There were records.
Recent photographs.
A school enrollment document under another name.
The evidence strongly suggested that Evelyn had survived.
But we still didn't know where she was.
Or why Isabelle had hidden her.
That evening, I visited Mateo.
He was tired.
The doctors had adjusted his medication and scheduled additional testing.
I sat beside his bed, reading a story about a brave little fox.
Halfway through, he interrupted me.
“Mommy?”
“Yes, baby?”
“Is Mr. Blackwood sad because of the girl?”
I froze.
“What girl?”
Mateo looked confused.
“The girl in the yellow dress.”
My heart stopped.
“Where did you see her?”
He pointed toward the door.
“In my dream.”
I swallowed.
“Mateo, sweetheart—”
“She had a red ribbon.”
My breath caught.
Evelyn's photograph showed a yellow dress.
But the ribbon in her hair had been red in one of the newer pictures.
I looked at my son.
“Did someone show you a photograph?”
He nodded.
“The lady.”
My stomach tightened.
“What lady?”
“The lady who came when you were talking to the doctor.”
I felt cold.
“What did she look like?”
Mateo thought carefully.
“Brown hair. Pretty. She smelled like flowers.”
I stared at him.
“Did she tell you her name?”
He nodded.
“Miss Isabelle.”
My heart stopped.
I called Kieran immediately.
He arrived at the hospital within forty minutes.
Mateo was asleep when he entered.
I showed him the drawing my son had made.
A little girl.
A yellow dress.
A red ribbon.
And a house with three windows.
Kieran stared.
Then whispered:
“That's Evelyn.”
I looked at him.
“How can you be sure?”
He pointed at the drawing.
“The ribbon.”
My heart pounded.
He continued.
“She always wore red ribbons.”
I stared at my sleeping son.
“Isabelle came here.”
Kieran nodded.
“She wanted Mateo to see the photograph.”
“Why?”
He looked at me.
“I don't know.”
Then Mateo stirred.
His eyes opened.
“Mr. Blackwood?”
Kieran approached.
“Hello, champion.”
Mateo smiled sleepily.
“Did you find your little girl?”
Kieran's expression changed.
“Not yet.”
Mateo frowned.
“That's sad.”
“Yes.”
My son thought about that.
Then said:
“Maybe the man with the blue jacket knows.”
Kieran froze.
“What man?”
Mateo looked toward me.
“Daddy's friend.”
My stomach dropped.
“Mateo, what friend?”
He yawned.
“The man who came to our apartment before Daddy left.”
I stared.
“What did he look like?”
Mateo closed his eyes.
“Tall. Brown hair. Blue jacket.”
I looked at Kieran.
His face had changed.
“Did he have a scar?” Kieran asked.
Mateo nodded.
“Here.”
He pointed beneath his left eye.
My blood ran cold.
Elias Mercer.
Kieran gripped the bed rail.
Then Mateo whispered:
“He told Daddy that the little girl was safe.”
I stopped breathing.
“What little girl?”
Mateo looked at us.
“Evelyn.”
Kieran and I returned to the estate after Mateo fell asleep.
Neither of us spoke during the drive.
At the mansion, Daniel met us in the foyer.
He looked grim.
“Mr. Blackwood, there's been a development.”
Kieran stopped.
“What?”
“Elias Mercer has requested to speak with you.”
Kieran's jaw tightened.
“Why?”
Daniel hesitated.
“He says he knows where Evelyn is.”
My heart began pounding.
Kieran stared.
“And?”
Daniel looked toward me.
“He'll only talk if Miss Torres is present.”
I felt cold.
“Why me?”
Daniel swallowed.
“Because he says Adrian Torres left something with her.”
I stared.
“The ledger?”
Daniel shook his head.
“No.”
Kieran's expression hardened.
“Then what?”
Daniel looked at me.
“A key.”
I frowned.
“What key?”
Daniel hesitated.
Then said:
“He claims it's hidden inside Mateo's favorite toy.”
My blood turned to ice.
Mateo's favorite toy was a small blue race car.
The same car he'd shown Kieran.
The same car he'd carried through hospital admissions.
The same car he'd kept beside his pillow for years.
I looked at Kieran.
He looked at me.
And suddenly, we both understood.
Adrian had hidden something inside our son's toy.
Something Elias wanted.
Something Calder had spent years searching for.
Kieran reached for his phone.
But before he could make the call, mine rang.
Unknown number.
I answered.
A familiar voice spoke.
“Saraphina.”
My heart stopped.
I knew that voice.
I'd heard it in my dreams.
In my nightmares.
In memories I had spent four years trying to forget.
“Adrian?”
A pause.
Then my former husband whispered:
“Don't trust Kieran Blackwood.”
I couldn't breathe.
He continued.
“Take Mateo and run.”
Then he said the words that turned everything upside down.
May you like
“Because Kieran is the reason Evelyn disappeared.”
End of Chapter 5.
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