When she became pregnant, she realized her child wouldn’t be raised with love—but shaped into something else. Something controlled.
“I knew if I tried to run with you, he would find us,” she said, tears falling freely now. “And if he did… he would turn you into someone you were never meant to be.”
The word hit me before I could stop it.
You.
“No…” I shook my head.
“Yes, Tyler,” she said softly. “You’re that child.”
Everything inside me shattered.
I let out a hollow laugh that didn’t sound like mine.
“This is insane…”
“At first, I didn’t recognize you,” she rushed to explain. “I only saw a kind young man… someone I cared about. But later… I saw the resemblance.”
Months later, she had someone investigate.
Eight months before the wedding, she found the truth.
“And you still married me?” I demanded.
She lowered her head.
“I tried to push you away… but I couldn’t.”
I hated how honest she sounded.
Because it didn’t let me hate her easily.
“And the security?” I asked.
“To protect you,” she said. “From Victor.”
That name felt like a shadow suddenly looming over everything.
“And the woman who raised me?” I asked.
“She knew.”
The ground disappeared beneath me.
I couldn’t breathe.