Rise of the Abandoned Wife

6. Revisiting the Past

SONIA

I had thought running away from corporate politics and burying myself in laboratories would protect me, but after tonight, I wasn't sure I believed in that sentiment very much. Or at all, even.

Becoming a pharmaceutical scientist had felt safe, controlled and predictable to the extent Molecules didn’t betray you, data didn’t lie, amongst others, but being George Hale’s daughter meant there was no such thing as hiding.

No matter how far I ran from the company, my father gently, but firmly, pulled me back into it, and not just the part that had to do with science. He meant the boardrooms, the conferences, the legacy. Literally everything that indicated or that was meant to prove that I was his long lost heiress.

Don't get me wrong, it wasn't a bad life. I enjoyed the privileges our name carried, the security, the resources, and the power to build things that mattered.

But the attention? I hated it. No matter how hard I pretended or tried to like it, that aspect of the business just didn't sit right with me.

Attention meant eyes, eyes meant whispers, and whispers dragged up memories I had spent seven years trying to bury. It was the same hassle being married to Kayden.

Seven f*****g years, and still, I hadn’t healed. I wasn't sure fate had it out for me, and after that night, I just knew I wasn't the universe’s favorite person on earth. Forgetting or even trying to push it aside was like trying to mop the ocean.

How could I, when every morning I woke up to a reminder? Oliver had his father’s eyes, his father’s jawline, and his father’s stubborn silence when something troubled him. He was literally a carbon copy of the man. If someone had walked up to me and said my genes didn't even put up a fight, I wouldn't have been bothered, because they were right.

He really was his father's son.

I loved my son more than life itself, but sometimes, when he tilted his head a certain way, it felt like the past was staring right back at me.

A small sigh slid past my lips as I pushed the thoughts aside one more time. We had come straight from the airport to the conference yesterday, and we hadn't had the time to check into the hotel, or the time to rest.

I had only attended long enough to represent Hale Corporations before slipping away early. Oliver looked exhausted and that was the perfect excuse for father to let me go.

At the hotel that evening, I helped Oliver change into his pajamas after his bath and before dinner arrived. He sat quietly on the edge of the bed, unusually thoughtful.

“You okay champ?” I asked gently, brushing my fingers through his hair.

“Yes mom.” He nodded, but something felt off. He smiled like he always did, but something twirled in my guts that he was hiding something.

He still didn't say anything about that, and after dinner, while I tucked him into bed, smoothing the blanket over his small frame. I decided to push one last time.

“You know,” I said softly, running my hand through his hair. “You can tell me anything. Always.”

He hesitated, and just when I was about to drop it, he asked, “Mummy… am I a twin?”

The air left my lungs, and my fingers froze where they rested on the blanket. My heart thudded loudly in my chest as I seriously prayed this would be one of those situations where he would laugh it off as a joke, but as more seconds passed, I realized I was stuck here.

“What?” I managed my voice barely steady. “Oliver? Why would you ask that?”

“I saw a boy today.” He looked up at me, innocent and curious. “He looks exactly like me.”

My heart slammed violently against my ribs.

“That’s… that’s not possible,” I said too quickly. “That can't be” But it was possible only if he who was not to be remembered was there today.

“But it is.” He frowned. “Everyone was looking at us. They thought it was funny. They even said we were clones.”

I swallowed. My fingers quivered, but I forced a breath out of my lungs, willing myself to stay calm.

“Are you sure?” I asked, hating the way my voice trembled. “Sometimes kids just look alike.” I wanted to brush it off so badly.

“This one was different, mum.” He shook his head firmly. “He looked like me., a lot”

My throat went dry, like someone who had been lost in a desert. I told myself not to think too much about it, but the more Oliver spoke, the more fear slid down my spine.

“Did you get his name?” I forced myself to ask. “The boy’s?”

“Yup.” He nodded. “Noah.”

The name echoed in my head. Noah.

So that was his name. That was the name Kayden had given to the son I never held. The same baby taken from my arms before I even understood what was happening.

Anger flared inside me so sharply it almost blinded me.

Kayden. He had been there, which meant, he could have seen me. It didn't take too long for the anger to be followed up by fear and I hated that only one thought came to mind.

If I wanted to see my son, I would have to see Kayden. Again.

Fuck.

I leaned down and kissed Oliver’s forehead, forcing my expression to soften. “Get some sleep, champ.” I whispered. “We’ll talk about it later.”

“Okay, Mummy.” He studied me for a moment but didn’t push further. “Good night.”

When his breathing finally evened out, I walked into my own room and closed the door. Then I called my father, biting my finger as I waited for him to answer.

“Sweetheart?” He answered immediately. “Miss your father already?”

“I need a private investigator,” I said immediately, skipping all the pleasantries that might be required.

“Why?” There was a pause, before he asked carefully. “What’s wrong?”

“Well, old man.” I stared at the city lights outside the window. “Oliver might have met his twin today. Kayden was at the conference today. I’m sure of it” I paused and let a wave of silence settle before I continued. “I need answers, Dad.”

“I see what this is about.” My father exhaled slowly. “You finally want to uncover what happened at that hospital?”

His words carried weight, because seven years ago, he had wanted to dig, to sue, to investigate, but I had stopped him. I had been too broken and too ashamed to want anything else asides my peace and whatever was left of my dignity.

“It’s been seven years too long,” I said bitterly. “I’m done running. It's high time we came to the bottom of this. I want my name cleared. I want to see my boy.”

“Alright kiddo. I’ll send you the best,” he replied after what seemed like forever. “But remember one thing, do take care of yourself. If it feels overwhelming, let me handle it.”

His words brought a small smile to my face and relief in my chest. After the call ended, sleep refused to come. I lay in bed staring at the ceiling.

Noah.

I smiled faintly at the name despite everything. I tried not to think about Kayden, tried not to picture his face if he had seen me.

Instead, I willed my thoughts to be on work. The launch. Tomorrow was the main test of the machine. After so many years of research and building we were finally ready to reveal it to the world.

It was an AI-assisted surgical robot designed to make procedures faster, more precise, and drastically reducing complications.

It was revolutionary, and I had to introduce it. Public speaking always made my stomach twist, being the center of attention made my chest tighten, but this was my father’s legacy. Now it was mine too, and I'd be damned if I let a little hiccup get in my way.

I wasn't sure how I eventually fell asleep after that, but morning came too quickly. I dressed in a tailored navy suit, pinned my hair back neatly, and stepped into Oliver’s room.

He was still asleep, curled on his side. He looked peaceful, too peaceful for a child who had just discovered something that could change his life.

I kissed his forehead gently and tucked a bit of his scattered hair behind his ear.

“Stay indoors until I return,” I whispered, leaving a note on the bedside table just in case he woke up before I came back then I left for the conference.

Everything was ready when I arrived. The stage lights, the large screen behind it, and most importantly, the covered machine waiting to be unveiled.

All I had to do was step forward and speak.

My team handled the technical details, and the live demonstration would follow my introduction. I stood backstage, adjusting my cuff.

“Dr. Hale,” someone said softly and I turned. “You’re on in two minutes.”

“This is it, Sonia.” I inhaled slowly as I muttered to myself. “You can do this.”

Just as I prepared to step toward the stage, someone appeared. If I didn't have his face engraved in the back of my mind in the last seven years, I could have sworn that my mind was playing a trick in me, or someone had picked the wrong time for an expensive joke like this one.

It was Kayden, standing directly in front of me. In flesh and blood. For a second, I forgot how to breathe. He looked older and sharper around the edges, but it was definitely him, very much alive, and very much real. Distastefully handsome too.

“I didn’t believe it when I saw you last night,” he spoke quietly. “We should talk.” His eyes searched my face like he too was trying to confirm I wasn’t a ghost.

Seven years of buried pain surged violently to the surface. My stomach dropped, my palms went cold, and I felt sick but nothing could have prepared me for his last words.

“It's important.”