Chapter 17
961 Words
EDEN'S POV
The word follows me home. It follows me into the elevator, into my apartment and into the silence waiting behind my front door.
By morning I still hear it, I stare at the ceiling long after sunrise trying to convince myself it meant nothing.
Children say strange things, dream, get confused. Children call teachers Mom and strangers Uncle.
I know all of that but the problem is none of those explanations help because what bothered me wasn't the word.
It was how natural it sounded, I sit up and drag both hands across my face.
Sleep never really happened.
The city is already awake outside my windows but my thoughts remain trapped in that apartment.
That bedroom that moment Jack sleeping peacefully while his arms remained wrapped around my neck then *Dad.*
The memory refuses to let go.
By the time I reach work, exhaustion sits permanently behind my eyes.
Richard notices naturally.
"You look terrible."
"Good morning."
"You need therapy."
"I need coffee."
"You need sleep."
"I need answers."
Richard freezes then slowly lowers the file in his hand.
"So this is really it."
"What?"
"The obsession."
I lean back in my chair. "It's not an obsession."
"You haven't spoken about anything else for two weeks."
I don't answer because that sounds uncomfortably accurate.
Richard studies me for several seconds then sighs.
"Stop before you destroy yourself."
"I need answers."
"You need proof."
"Isn't that same thing."
"It's not"
The answer comes instantly.
"Proof is fact, answers are what you want those facts to become."
The words stay with me longer than they should because part of me knows he's right and the other part doesn't care anymore.
The rest of the day disappears into timelines.
Not records or confidential files but facts, dates, and public information, things nobody could accuse me of digging for, as I trace the date Chloe died, the date Janice disappeared, and the date Jack was born, watching every timeline narrow the possibilities, every calculation remove another excuse, and every answer point in the same direction, a reality I hate more with each passing day because every road keeps leading back to the same impossible place.
Around noon I find myself staring through the hotel lobby windows instead of reading reports.
My thoughts drift again.
The hospital, the notebook, the dinosaur drawings, the family pictures, the way Jack trusted me immediately, the way he never seemed afraid around me, the way he looked at me, and the way I looked back keep replaying in my head until the pieces no longer feel scattered but connected, and that realization terrifies me.
Meanwhile Janice is trying to avoid me.
Every time I walk into the kitchen she suddenly becomes busy, every conversation ends quickly and every interaction becomes shorter.
She's trying to create distance unfortunately for her, Jack has other plans.
That afternoon I overhear him talking to Chan near the employee cafeteria.
"Eden says velociraptors had feathers."
Chan looks horrified. "That's fake news."
"It isn't."
"It absolutely is."
Jack folds his arms exactly the way I do.
"Eden knows dinosaurs."
Chan points dramatically. "Don't say that where Chef Soto can hear you."
Jack laughs and he sound follows me long after I leave.
Family Day arrives two days later, I shouldn't be here and I know that.
The school parking lot is packed, parents carry cupcakes, teachers direct traffic and children race across playgrounds.
Normal family things, things I have absolutely no reason to attend yet I'm standing outside Jack's classroom anyway because I remembered.
The moment I saw the flyer weeks ago, I remembered and now I'm here.
I tell myself it's harmless but I don't believe that either.
Inside the classroom children proudly display projects while parents move between desks.
The room buzzes with excitement.
Jack stands near the front holding a dinosaur poster larger than he is.
His smile appears instantly the moment he sees me with pure happiness.
"Uncle Eden!"
Every head in the room turns, teachers, parents and everyone.
I barely have time to react before Jack starts running straight toward me and I catch him instantly.
His small arms wrap around my neck, my arms tighten around him and for one dangerous second everything feels natural.
The room disappears, the noise disappears. Only Jack remains.
"Look."
He shoves the poster toward me proudly. "Dinosaurs."
"I can see that."
"Mine is the best one."
"Obviously."
Jack beams, the smile hits harder than it should.
Across the classroom I see Janice frozen and watching. The expression on her face twists something inside my chest.
The event ends an hour later.
Parents begin leaving, children gather their projects and teachers say goodbye.
I step outside into the school parking lot and Janice follows moments later.
I hear her before I see her.
"Why are you here?"
I turn, her expression is tight.
"Family Day."
"You weren't invited."
"Neither was half the extended family inside."
"That's not the point."
The frustration beneath her voice crackles immediately. Years of fear finally pushing toward the surface.
I study her quietly.
"Then what's the point?"
She looks away first. "Stop showing up."
The words hit harder than expected. "Why?"
"Because you're making this harder."
"Harder for who?"
The question lands and she doesn't answer.
Silence stretches between us.
The parking lot noise fades into the background. Cars, parents and children.
Everything becomes distant, I take one step closer.
"No more half answers."
Her pulse visibly jumps in her throat.
"No more excuses."
"Eden....."
"No."
The word comes out sharper than intended and my eyes lock onto hers.
For weeks I've been circling the same question.
Weeks of clues, weeks of fear, weeks of possibilities and I'm done waiting, guessing and pretending.
"Is Jack my son?"
- Writer
