Chapter 3: The Little Secret
622 Words
Emma didn't remember how she drove home.
Her hands still trembled on the steering wheel as Adrian's voice echoed relentlessly in her mind.
"Don't disappear again."
Four years ago...
She hadn't wanted to disappear.
She simply hadn't had another choice.
Letting out a quiet sigh, Emma parked her old sedan in front of a modest apartment building.
Unlike the luxurious skyscrapers surrounding the Blackwood Group, this place was simple.
Small.
Peaceful.
It was the home she had built from nothing.
And the only place where she could finally breathe.
She unlocked the front door.
Before she could even step inside—
"Mommy!"
Two tiny voices rang through the apartment.
A little girl with long dark hair ran straight into her arms.
Behind her, a little boy followed with a shy smile, clutching a toy dinosaur in one hand.
Emma laughed for the first time that day.
The weight on her shoulders instantly melted away.
"My little monsters."
Ella wrapped her tiny arms around Emma's waist.
"You came home late."
"I'm sorry."
Emma kissed her daughter's forehead.
"Work was... busy."
Ethan quietly took Emma's handbag before placing it neatly on the table.
"You forgot your water bottle."
Emma blinked.
"Thank you, sweetheart."
Unlike his energetic twin sister, Ethan rarely spoke unless he thought it was necessary.
But he noticed everything.
Everything.
Sometimes, it amazed Emma how much he resembled...
No.
She quickly pushed the thought away.
Not tonight.
Dinner was simple.
Fried rice.
Scrambled eggs.
And vegetable soup.
To Ethan and Ella, it was a feast.
Ella swung her little legs happily beneath the chair.
"Mommy!"
"Yes?"
"I made a new friend today!"
Emma smiled.
"Oh? Tell me."
Ella grinned proudly.
"He shared his cookies with me."
Emma chuckled.
"That was very kind of him."
"I think he's going to marry me."
Emma nearly choked on her water.
"Ella!"
The little girl giggled.
"My teacher said, sharing is caring."
Ethan sighed dramatically.
"You're only four."
Ella stuck out her tongue.
"So?"
Their playful bickering filled the apartment with laughter.
For a brief moment...
Emma forgot everything that had happened that morning.
Forgot Adrian.
Forgot Blackwood Group.
Forgot the painful memories she had buried deep inside her heart.
Home wasn't a place.
It was wherever Ethan and Ella were.
After dinner, Ethan sat quietly on the living room floor, carefully assembling his dinosaur puzzle.
Ella colored princess dresses with bright pink crayons.
Emma folded laundry nearby while the evening news played softly on the television.
"Today, Blackwood Group officially announced its new Chief Executive Officer..."
Emma froze.
Her fingers stopped folding the tiny blue T-shirt in her hands.
On the television screen...
Adrian appeared.
Calm.
Confident.
Every bit the successful CEO the world admired.
"...Mr. Adrian Blackwood stated that the company plans to expand into international markets next year."
Ella looked up from her coloring book.
"He's handsome."
Emma almost laughed.
"He is."
Then she quickly realized what she had just admitted.
Before she could reach for the remote—
"Mommy."
Ethan's quiet voice stopped her.
Emma turned toward him.
He pointed at the television.
"Who's Adrian?"
The question stole the air from her lungs.
Her heartbeat quickened.
"Why do you ask?"
Ethan tilted his head.
"He looks familiar."
Emma forced a smile.
"You've probably seen him somewhere before."
The little boy frowned.
"No..."
His blue eyes remained fixed on the television.
"I feel like..."
"I know him."
Emma immediately switched off the TV.
The room fell silent.
Too silent.
Ella blinked in confusion.
"Mommy?"
Emma looked away before either of them could see the tears gathering in her eyes.
"Time for bed."
Neither child argued.
But Ethan glanced once more at the now-dark television screen.
As if trying to remember something...
Or someone.
- Writer
