Chapter 3
"I gave this to Ethan three years ago, told him it was for his first child. He said he lost it," Bella said, her voice shaky.
I nodded.
"He didn't lose it," I replied.
"The day Charles was born Ethan didn't come to the hospital. He sent his driver with a box. Inside was this gold lock, and a note."
"There were six words on the note."
I looked at her.
'Give it to the kid. Don't say a word.'
Bella gripped the gold lock so tightly that the veins on the back of her hand stood out.
She stared at me, as if she could peel back every layer of me.
"Who are you? Why did he keep this from me?" Bella demanded.
Three years, I've been waiting for someone to finally ask me that.
Dr. Norris got the hint and slipped off to the corner, keeping his head down as he packed up his kit.
Michael pressed himself against the door, barely even breathing.
I grabbed a tissue, bent down, and gently wiped the sweat from Charles's forehead.
After I finished, I straightened up and looked at Bella.
"Three years ago, I was a rookie at the Miller Design. He noticed me at the company's annual gala, and then asked me out to dinner three times. The fourth time, he pulled out a contract right then and there," I said.
"A marriage contract.
"The contract laid it all out: our marriage had to stay a secret. I couldn't attend any event as a Miller, and I wasn't allowed to contact any member of the Miller family.
"In exchange, he gave me a supplementary card with a monthly limit of 50,000 dollars.
"I signed it."
I said it all in a calm, almost numb voice.
Because I'd already felt all the hurt there was to feel.
Bella's expression grew colder, her face hardening with every word.
"You signed a confidential marriage agreement," Bella said.
"Yes," I replied.
"50,000 dollars a month," Bella repeated.
"Yes. After I got pregnant, it increased to 80,000." Each word felt like I was chewing broken glass.
"And after the baby was born?" Bella asked.
"He only showed up three times," I said, holding up three fingers. "First, he brought the gold lock. Second, he dropped off a box of imported formula. Third, on Charles's first birthday, he stayed for twenty minutes, took two phone calls, and left.
"Three years, just three visits.
"After Charles turned two, he stopped responding to my texts. Forty days ago, he completely disappeared."
Bella fell silent for a long time.
The silence dragged on so long that Charles's cries slowly faded, leaving nothing but his soft, ragged breaths.
Suddenly, Bella turned to Michael.
"How long have you been working here?" she asked.
Michael flinched. "Th-three months."
"Did you know Ethan was married?"
"I... I didn't know, I really didn't know..."
Bella glanced at him, then let it go without another question.
She walked back to her desk, opened a drawer, and took out her phone.
She flipped through her contacts and dialed a number.
She put it on speaker.
Beep...
Nobody answered.
She dialed again.
Still, nobody answered.
She set the phone down and looked up at me.
"You said he's been out of contact for forty days," Bella said.
"Yes."
"Did you call the police?"
"I did. They told me his phone's still active and his employment records are normal, so he doesn't count as missing. All I can do is wait."
I pulled my phone out of my bag, opened my call log, and set it down in front of her.
The screen was full of the same name: Ethan Miller.
Every single one was a missed call.
Page after page.
Bella stared at the screen, silent for a long time.
Charles shifted on the table, barely awake, his voice soft and hazy as he called out.
"Mommy..."
I grabbed his hand right away. "Mommy's here, Charles. It's okay, sweetheart."
His tiny hand was burning up, clutching my fingers tight, then he slipped back into a feverish sleep, eyes closing once more.
Bella took it all in, sinking back into her chair.
She didn't look at me again. Instead, she picked up the office phone and dialed an internal number.
"Get me a full report on Ethan's whereabouts for the past forty days. All of it. Personal, too," Bella ordered.
"I want it on my desk in two hours."
After hanging up, she stood up and walked to the window, turning her back to me.
I thought she was going to say something.
But she just stood there for a moment, then turned around and said something that caught me completely off guard.
"Take Charles to the hospital. I'll handle the expenses," Bella said.
She paused.
"Don't go home yet. Stay here at the office and wait for news," Bella said.
I was stunned for a moment.
"And what about my suspension?" I asked.
Bella glanced at Michael.
Michael blurted out, "Uh... that suspension notice, I'll fix it right now..."
"You don't have the authority," Bella interrupted. "Who signed off on your suspension notice?"
Michael's face went pale.