Chapter 5
At Eastside Medical Center, in the pediatric department.
Dr. Chambers drew another blood sample from Alex and ran a full panel of tests.
"Ms. Nolan, your child's eosinophils are indeed elevated, but it's not serious. Let's run an allergy screening and monitor for two weeks before a follow-up," Dr. Chambers said.
"Okay, thank you, Dr. Chambers," I said.
As we left the hospital, I held Alex's hand as we walked down the steps at the entrance.
A black Panamera was parked by the curb.
The door opened.
Lucas got out.
He was in a white shirt, without his lab coat.
He must've come straight from work.
I tightened my grip on Alex's hand and tried to steer clear of him.
"Emma Nolan."
He stepped in front of me, blocking my path.
"You blocked my number," Lucas said.
"Yeah," I replied.
"I'm your kid's doctor. I need to talk to you about his health," Lucas insisted.
"I changed hospitals. You're not his doctor now," Emma shot back.
Lucas looked at Alex.
Alex looked up at him, his big eyes blinking up at Lucas.
"Mom, it's the doctor from that day!" Alex said.
Alex took a step forward, his face lighting up with excitement.
I pulled him back.
"Alex, let's go," I said.
"But Mom—" Alex protested.
"Listen to me," I said firmly.
I scooped Alex up in my arms and hurried toward the parking lot.
Footsteps echoed behind me.
"Emma Nolan, wait up!" Lucas called out.
"There's nothing left to say," Emma shot back.
"How old is he?" Lucas asked.
My steps faltered for a second.
"Four," I replied.
"Four," Lucas repeated.
I opened the car door and strapped Alex into his car seat, making sure he was secure.
As I was closing the back door, Lucas reached out and held the doorframe, stopping me.
"Emma, when you found out you were pregnant four years ago, was it—" Lucas started.
"That's none of your business," I cut him off.
I pushed his hand away, opened the driver's door, and slid into the seat.
I started the car.
In the rearview mirror, Lucas just stood there—he didn't try to follow.
But his face wore an expression I'd never seen before.
It was suspicion, uncertainty, and something I couldn't even name.
He was starting to suspect something.
If he looked at the dates, he'd put it together.
If you count ten months from our divorce.
Alex's birthday was exactly ten months and three days after the divorce.
If he wanted to find out, he could.
But so what?
He doesn't get to be his father.
He knows perfectly well what he did back then.
*****
That night, Katie came over to my place.
She spotted the note in the trash, picked it up, and took a look.
"Lucas? Is this your ex-husband's handwriting?" Katie asked.
"Yeah," I replied.
"Has he figured out about Alex?" Katie asked.
"He's starting to get suspicious," I said.
Katie flopped onto the couch, hugging a pillow.
"Emma, how long are you going to keep this secret from him?" Katie asked.
"For the rest of my life," I replied.
"You can't hide this forever. He'll have to go to school, get his paperwork done, and have check-ups. His blood type, his looks—anyone who actually pays attention will figure it out," Katie said.
"I know," I replied.
"So, what's your plan?" Katie asked.
"Alex's official paperwork is all under my name, and he uses my last name. The father's section on his birth certificate is blank. Unless someone does a paternity test, there's no legal proof," I said.
"The law is one thing, but you know how the Nolan family operates. If Richard finds out he has a grandson out there—" Katie said.
"He'll never find out," I said, firm.
"He was sitting right across from you today, and he already recognized you. If he starts digging into your background, do you really think he won't find out about Alex?" Katie pressed.
I didn't say anything.
Katie was right about every single thing she said.
But what else could I do?
Hand Alex over to the Nolan family? Let him grow up in that cold, unfeeling Nolan estate and turn into another Lucas?
No way.
"I'm expediting the contract signing with Everwell. Once the contract is signed and the payment is received, the company will have sufficient cash flow. If it comes to that, I'll at least have the capital to take The Nolan Family to court."
Katie looked at me.
"You shouldn't have to shoulder all this alone," she said.
"I've been doing it alone for four years," I replied.
She walked over and gave me a hug.
"You know I'll always have your back," Katie said.
"Yeah," I replied.
It was the middle of the night, and I couldn't sleep.
I opened up my phone's photo album.
At the very bottom, there was a photo from five years ago.
It was our wedding photo—me and Lucas.
We were sitting in front of a red backdrop. I was smiling as hard as I could, while he just gave a restrained smile.
Back then, I really thought he loved me.
I swiped the photo away and locked my phone.