Chapter 3

From that day on, Easton never asked about his dad again.

But his drawings started to fill with even more stars than before.

Days passed peacefully, marked by the steady hum of the sewing machine, Easton's colorful doodles, and his innocent chatter. I thought life would continue quietly, like the ivy climbing the walls of our old neighborhood—silent, strong, thriving in the forgotten corners. At least, that was true until that ordinary Friday afternoon.

It was time for kindergarten to let out. As usual, I locked up my little tailor shop early, hopped onto my old secondhand bike, which creaked with every turn except the bell, and pedaled toward Sunbeam Kindergarten.

The air was thick, sticky, heavy with the promise of a storm.

From a distance, I saw a huge crowd gathered at the kindergarten gate. Cameras flashed everywhere, their lights exploding like fireworks on New Year's Eve. Parents were pushed to the edges, all talking at once.

"What's going on? Are they filming something here?"

"It doesn't look like it. I don't see a film crew."

"Oh, my. Isn't... Isn't that Adrian Jackson?"

"It is Adrian Jackson."

"Oh, my God. Why would a big star like him come to a place like our kindergarten?"

The name "Adrian" crashed into my ears like a thunderclap, striking without warning.

My heart stopped, my body froze. The handlebars nearly slipped from my grip, and for a split second, I almost veered into the bushes.

I squeezed the brakes so hard that my knuckles turned white.

What the hell was Adrian doing here?

A cold sense of dread wrapped around my heart, tightening with every second.

I quickly chained my bike under a tree, snatched out the key, and pushed my way through the crowd.

"Excuse me. Let me through. I need to pick up my kid," I said, my voice shaking with a tremor I didn't even notice.

The crowd was packed so tightly, and the camera flashes were so blinding that, with my short stature, I couldn't see a thing. All I could hear was a deep, magnetic voice ahead. It was familiar yet unfamiliar, filled with the warmth reserved for the public.

"Hey, buddy. What's your name? Don't be scared. You can tell me," the voice said.

Five years may have passed, but I'd never forget that voice.

It was Adrian Jackson.

Who was he talking to?

Where was Easton?

Panic hit me like a freezing wave, overwhelming me in an instant. I elbowed my way through the crowd, ignoring complaints and jostling bodies.

"Stop pushing!"

"Have you ever heard of manners?"

"Look, another wants to catch Adrian's spotlight."

I ignored them all with my eyes fixed on the front.

Finally, I made it to the front.

What I saw hit me like a sledgehammer to the head, leaving me dizzy and unsteady.

Inside the kindergarten gates, Easton, in his yellow duck overalls, was half-hidden behind a tall figure crouched protectively in front of him.

The man was wearing a perfectly tailored dark gray suit, standing tall and confident, his sharp profile like a work of art. It was Adrian, the hottest A-list actor of the moment.

He was slightly bent down with his eyes locked on Easton, shielding him from the chaos around them. Easton looked overwhelmed, his face pale. His long lashes trembled. His small hands gripped his backpack straps.

Around them, reporters bombarded Adrian with questions, cameras flashing nonstop.

"Mr. Jackson, why are you here?"

"What's your relationship with this kid?"

"Are the rumors true that you and Ms. Mandy Shaw are about to tie the knot? Is this the child you two adopted together?"

Adrian ignored the reporters. His entire focus was on the little boy in front of him—Easton, who was almost too cute to be real.

Adrian's gaze lingered on Easton's fair face, his adorable little nose, and finally on those wide, sparkling eyes.

For a split second, time seemed to freeze.

The practiced warmth on Adrian's face disappeared in an instant, replaced by shock and disbelief. His eyes widened immediately, as if he'd seen something so astonishing it didn't make sense.

His eyes remained glued to Easton's face, tracing every feature with a hunger that was almost obsessive.

His eyes were sharp as knives but tangled with a mess of emotions he couldn't even name.

Shock, confusion, and doubt were mixed with something deeper that he didn't even know he had. He felt a kind of connection to the boy.

All the noise around them seemed to fade away.

It was just Adrian, staring at Easton like he had seen a ghost, his face frozen in utter disbelief.

In that instant, I felt my blood freeze.

I was all over. No matter how hard I'd tried to keep this secret, he still saw Easton.