The Child in the Shadows
1150 Words
I stared at Killian, and I was frozen.
He stood in front of the locked office door and his arms crossed, and his face was strong like stone.
His voice was low, and he was too calm.
“Tell me who you really are, Aria.”
My heart rang out loudly and my legs instantly became weak.
I tried to keep my face still and tried to breathe normally.
“I already told you,” I said quietly. “I’m just... me.”
He took a slow step toward me. I didn’t move.
“Then why were you hiding doctor bills?” he asked. “Why do you whisper on the phone every night?”
I looked down at the floor.
“I was helping a friend,” I said fast. “She has a sick child. That’s all.”
He did not say anything the first time, he just kept looking at me, it was like he didn’t believe a word.
His jaw made a small movement, it was like he was holding back something sharp.
And then finally, he turned and walked to the door.
“I don’t like lies at all,” he said plainly. “And I always find out the truth.”
He then opened the door and left without another word.
I immediately moved to the door and closed it behind him, after, I fell to my knees.
I covered my face with my hands, but I hid crying out loud because I didn't want him to hear. Instead, I cried into my hands,and I was shaking all over.
__
At night, I couldn't not sleep.
I lay in bed, my eyes were opened all through the night and stared at the ceiling all through the night.
At 1:00 a.m., I sat up slowly.
I changed into black clothes. A hoodie. Quiet shoes.
And I then picked up my purse quietly
and sneaked out of my room.
Downstairs, I slowly opened the back door slowly and the night air was cold. The sky was empty.
I called a cab and gave Jenny’s address.
___
Jenny opened the door, her hair was sweaty and messy and her eyes went wide the moment she saw me.
“Aria?” she whispered. “Are you crazy? Why are you here now?”
“I want to see him,” I said to her slowly.
She immediately dragged me inside and closed the door.
“He is sleeping. Fever went down, but he still has a cough.”
I walked into the small room and my hands were shaking hard.
The door was a bit opened, I looked straight and saw Noah on the bed, he was lying down on his side and he was playing with his toy. The blanket was wrapped around him.
How cheeks were red and his lips were dried.
I quickly knelt beside his bed and started touching his cheek gently.
His eyes were wide open.
“Mommy?” he whispered slowly and I smiled and nodded. “Hi, baby.”
He sat up fast and threw his arms around me and I held him tight, his eyes closed.
“Mommy, I missed you!”
“I missed you too, my baby” I said, and my voice was shaking.
He touched my hair slowly and he looked into my face.
“You look sad.”
I forced a smile. “Just tired, sweetheart.”
We sat on the bed together. He rested his head on my shoulder.
His fingers played with mine, small and warm.
Then he looked up at me again.
“mommy? Why am I hiding from the world?” he asked slowly. “Why can I not have a daddy like the other kids?”
I instantly felt a sharp pain in my heart and I quickly swallowed the thick spit in my throat.
“I am sorry,” I said. “One day… when you are older… you will understand better my love”
He raised his head up. “Do I have a daddy?”
I nodded slowly. “You do. But I can’t tell you who.”
His voice dropped. “Is he mean?”
“No,” I said, brushing his hair back. “He’s not mean. Just… very rich. Very lost.”
Noah was quiet for a moment.
Then he whispered, “Will he ever love me?”
Tears ran down my face before I could stop them.
“Of course,” I said. “Anyone would love you, baby. You’re perfect.”
He smiled and hugged me again.
“I love you too, Mommy.”
---
I stayed only twenty minutes.
Jenny stood at the door, holding her baby in her arms as I pulled my hoodie up.
“Please be careful,” she whispered.
“I will,” I said. “Kiss him for me.”
Then I left.
---
Back at the penthouse, I used the back entrance again.
All the lights were off. Everything was still.
I walked slowly, heart racing, holding my breath with every step.
I reached my room and locked the door behind me.
I didn’t know if Killian saw me leave.
I prayed he didn’t.
---
The next morning, he didn’t say much.
He sat in his office reading papers.
He didn’t even look at me.
But what I didn’t know was this—
He had already made a call.
He had hired someone.
A private investigator.
He wanted to find out who I really was.
---
Later that day, the man he hired found something.
A hospital record.
From five years ago.
My name on it.
One child delivered.
No father listed.
---
That evening, I sat on the living room sofa, legs tucked under me.
I held my phone in my hands, smiling at the screen.
Jenny had sent a photo—Noah holding a chocolate bar, grinning with messy lips.
I smiled. My eyes filled with warm tears.
But then I heard footsteps.
Fast. Close.
I panicked and tried to turn off the screen.
Too late.
Killian walked in.
He sat across from me, slowly, calmly.
He saw the light from my phone.
His eyes locked onto the screen before I could hide it.
“Who’s that?” he asked.
I pressed the power button. “No one,” I said too fast.
I flipped the phone upside down and placed it on the table.
He didn’t speak again.
He just watched me.
His gaze was hard, silent, unblinking.
---
Later, we ate dinner.
The clinking of forks was the only sound.
He cut his steak slowly. Took a sip of red wine.
Then he looked up at me again.
His eyes were darker than usual.
His voice was slow. Sharp like a knife.
“You’re hiding something,” he said.
I dropped my fork.
“And I always find the truth.”
- Writer
