PART 5: THE SECRET OF MY SON'S BLOOD
For a moment, I couldn't hear anything.
Not Daniel Voss.
Not Linda.
Not Sarah.
Not even my own breathing.
All I could see was the message on my phone.
"Daniel, don't believe anything they tell you. Especially the truth about Lucas."
My fingers tightened around the device.
Because those words didn't sound like a warning.
They sounded like fear.
Fear from my wife.
The woman who had spent five years beside me.
The woman who had left in the middle of the night.
The woman who took our son.
I looked at Daniel.
"What did you mean?"
He smiled.
A calm, terrifying smile.
"Exactly what I said."
My voice hardened.
"Where is Lucas?"
"Safe."
"That's not an answer."
Daniel stepped closer.
"You're asking the wrong question."
I stared at him.
"What question should I ask?"
He looked directly into my eyes.
"Ask why Evelyn never told you who your son really is."
The words hit harder than anything else.
Because Lucas wasn't just my child.
He was the center of my life.
Every morning, he climbed into my bed.
Every night, he asked me to read the same story.
Every time I came home, he ran toward me like I was the most important person in the world.
The idea that Evelyn had hidden something about him felt impossible.
But then I remembered.
The secrets.
The missing records.
The photograph.
The lies.
And suddenly...
Nothing felt impossible anymore.
"You're lying."
Daniel laughed softly.
"That's what everyone says when the truth hurts."
I stepped forward.
"You took my son."
"Because I needed him."
My anger exploded.
"He's not something you need."
"He is more important than you understand."
"He's a child."
Daniel's expression changed.
"No."
His voice became colder.
"He's the last piece."
Sarah stepped between us.
"Enough."
Daniel looked at her.
"You still protect everyone except yourself."
She stared at him.
"You ruined enough lives."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"Did I?"
He looked at me.
"Or did I simply reveal what was already broken?"
I hated that his words affected me.
Because part of me was wondering.
What if he was telling the truth?
What if Evelyn had hidden something?
What if my entire family was built on secrets?
I turned to Linda.
"Did you know?"
She looked away.
That was answer enough.
My chest tightened.
"Mom."
She closed her eyes.
"I didn't know everything."
"But you knew something."
Silence.
"Didn't you?"
Finally, she whispered:
"Yes."
I felt betrayed all over again.
Everyone knew.
Everyone had information.
Everyone had conversations behind my back.
And I was the only person living inside the lie.
"Why?"
Linda looked at me.
"Because we were trying to protect you."
I laughed bitterly.
"Everyone keeps saying that."
I looked around the room.
"Protect me."
"Protect Lucas."
"Protect the evidence."
"But nobody ever protected us from the truth."
My phone rang.
Unknown number.
Everyone became silent.
I answered.
"Evelyn?"
For a moment, there was only silence.
Then her voice.
Soft.
Tired.
"Daniel."
I closed my eyes.
Hearing her voice almost broke me.
"Where is Lucas?"
"He's with me."
"Is he okay?"
"Yes."
I swallowed.
"Why did you leave?"
A long pause.
Then:
"Because I found out something about our family."
My heart tightened.
"What?"
"I found your birth records."
I looked at Sarah.
Then Linda.
"I know."
"No."
Evelyn's voice became serious.
"You don't know everything."
I froze.
"What else?"
Silence.
Then she said:
"Lucas isn't just your son."
I felt cold.
"What does that mean?"
"Daniel..."
Her voice shook.
"Your son is connected to the same people who destroyed your father's life."
I couldn't breathe.
"Explain."
"I can't over the phone."
"Where are you?"
Another pause.
"Somewhere safe."
"Tell me."
"Daniel..."
"Please."
Silence.
Then:
"Come to the old Nelson property."
My eyes narrowed.
"Richard Nelson's?"
"Yes."
"Why there?"
"Because that's where the truth started."
The call ended.
I stared at my phone.
Richard Nelson.
My boss.
The man I invited into my home.
The man whose approval I wanted so badly that I humiliated my wife for him.
Was he connected too?
Daniel watched me carefully.
"She called you."
I looked at him.
"How do you know?"
"Because Evelyn always was predictable."
My blood boiled.
"You know my wife?"
A pause.
Too long.
I noticed.
"How?"
Daniel smiled.
"She worked for me."
The room went silent.
"What?"
Linda looked shocked.
Sarah looked confused.
I stared at Daniel.
"No."
"Yes."
"You're lying."
"Ask her."
My mind raced.
Evelyn.
My wife.
The woman I thought I knew.
A woman with secrets.
A woman who somehow knew things about my family.
A woman who discovered my adoption records.
A woman who left with my son.
Who was she really?
I left the house before anyone could stop me.
I didn't trust Daniel.
I didn't trust Linda.
I didn't trust Sarah.
And now...
I wasn't sure I trusted Evelyn.
The drive to the Nelson property felt endless.
Every memory with Evelyn played in my mind.
Our first meeting.
Our wedding.
The birth of Lucas.
The nights we stayed awake together.
Was any of it real?
Or was I just another part of a plan?
When I arrived, the property was empty.
A large abandoned estate outside the city.
The gates were open.
Waiting.
Just like the first house.
Just like every secret place connected to my past.
I entered slowly.
"Evelyn?"
No answer.
I walked through the halls.
Then I heard something.
A child's voice.
"Daddy?"
I froze.
"Lucas?"
I ran toward the sound.
And there he was.
My son.
Sitting on the floor.
Safe.
But beside him...
Was Evelyn.
She looked exhausted.
Her eyes filled with tears when she saw me.
For a second, neither of us moved.
Then Lucas ran into my arms.
"Daddy!"
I held him tightly.
The relief was overwhelming.
But when I looked up at Evelyn...
I saw something.
Fear.
Not fear of me.
Fear for me.
"Evelyn."
She swallowed.
"Daniel."
"Tell me the truth."
She looked down.
"I wanted to."
"But you didn't."
"I was trying to protect you."
My anger returned.
"From what?"
She looked at Lucas.
Then at me.
"From the truth about where he came from."
I stepped back.
"Lucas is my son."
"Yes."
"Then what are you hiding?"
Evelyn took a deep breath.
Then she said:
"Daniel, when Lucas was born..."
She paused.
"You weren't the only person who signed his birth papers."
My heart stopped.
"What?"
She looked at me.
"Because the hospital records were changed."
"Why?"
"Because someone wanted Lucas to disappear."
I felt dizzy.
"Who?"
Evelyn looked toward the window.
Then whispered:
"The same person who has been searching for him since he was born."
A cold feeling spread through me.
"Daniel Voss?"
She nodded.
"No."
I frowned.
"Then who?"
Her answer froze me.
"Your mother."
I couldn't speak.
Linda.
Again.
The woman who raised me.
The woman who lied about my identity.
The woman who knew about Sarah.
The woman connected to my past.
Now connected to my son.
"Why?"
Evelyn's eyes filled with tears.
"Because Lucas was never supposed to be born."
The room went silent.
I looked at my son.
My little boy.
The child I loved more than anything.
"What are you saying?"
Evelyn whispered:
"Daniel..."
"Lucas isn't just your son."
"He is the reason everyone has been fighting for decades."
Before I could answer, the lights suddenly went out.
A loud crash came from outside.
Evelyn grabbed Lucas.
Someone was entering the building.
Then a voice echoed through the hallway.
A voice I recognized.
Linda.
"Daniel."
My blood ran cold.
"Bring my grandson to me."
I stood in front of my wife and son.
Because finally...
I understood.
This was never about money.
Never about my company.
Never about a promotion.
It was about Lucas.
May you like
And every person who had lied to me...
Had done it because of my son.
