Lucas couldn't breathe.
The document trembled in his hands.
He read the same line again.
And again.
And again.
Yet the words refused to change.
Amelia Hayes.
Not Amelia Parker.
Not Amelia Williams.
Amelia Hayes.
The surname alone made his stomach drop.
Because there was only one Hayes connected to this story.
Ethan.
"No..."
The whisper escaped before he could stop it.
Rain tapped softly against the windows of his apartment.
The world outside continued moving.
Cars passed.
People laughed.
Life went on.
Yet inside the room, everything had stopped.
Because if Amelia's surname was really Hayes...
Then Lily's hidden past wasn't just connected to Claire.
It was connected to Ethan too.
The realization sent a chill through his entire body.
He immediately grabbed his phone.
