PART 2
"Daddy!"
The little boy's voice shattered my heart.
The man who picked him up wrapped all three children in his arms as if they were his own.
Sophia turned to me, her expression cold.
"You gave up on us before you even knew we existed."
I tried to explain, but she handed me a sealed envelope.
Inside were hospital records, hundreds of unanswered emails... and one pregnancy test with my name written on the back.
"I searched for you," she whispered. "You never came."
Before I could say another word, the other man looked at me and said,
"You should know the truth..."
Then he revealed a secret that made my knees go weak.
He wasn't the children's biological father.
He had only been protecting the family I had abandoned.
The room went completely silent.
I stared at Daniel, trying to understand the words that had just left his mouth.
"You're not their father?"
Daniel slowly shook his head.
"No."
His answer was quiet.
Simple.
But it destroyed every assumption I had built in my mind.
For four years, I had imagined another man living my life.
Another man hearing their first words.
Another man holding them when they were sick.
Another man being called "Daddy" while I was nothing but a stranger.
But now I was standing in front of the truth.
Daniel wasn't the man who stole my place.
He was the man who filled the empty space I left behind.
And somehow...
That hurt even more.
"Then why?" I asked.
My voice was barely above a whisper.
"Why did they call you that?"
Daniel looked at the children.
His eyes softened.
"Because children don't understand biology, Lucas."
He paused.
"They understand who stays."
The words cut deeper than I expected.
Sophia looked away.
I noticed the pain in her eyes.
A pain I had caused.
"I met Sophia three months after the children were born," Daniel continued. "She was exhausted. She hadn't slept properly in weeks. She was working during the day, taking care of three newborns at night, and still checking her phone every morning hoping there would be a message from you."
I lowered my head.
Every word felt like another weight on my shoulders.
"I didn't know who you were at first," Daniel said. "I only knew a woman who was trying to survive."
He looked at Sophia.
"And three innocent children who deserved more than what they were given."
Sophia closed her eyes.
"Daniel..."
"No," Daniel interrupted gently.
"Lucas needs to hear this."
I looked at him.
"What happened?"
Daniel took a deep breath.
"When Sophia was pregnant, someone tried to destroy her."
My eyebrows tightened.
"What do you mean?"
Sophia remained silent.
That frightened me more than anything.
Because Sophia Bennett was not someone who scared easily.
She was the woman who had walked into my boardroom four years later and faced every executive in my company without hesitation.
But now...
She looked like she was remembering something painful.
"Your business rival," Daniel said.
My expression changed.
"Victor Hale?"
Daniel nodded.
The name immediately brought back memories.
Victor Hale had been my biggest competitor four years ago.
He had tried everything to bring Hart Group down.
False accusations.
Corporate sabotage.
Illegal deals.
And the night of the banquet...
The night I thought was just a terrible mistake.
"You were drugged that night," Daniel said.
My eyes widened.
"I know."
The room seemed to spin.
"What?"
Daniel looked at me seriously.
"You weren't drunk, Lucas."
My breathing stopped.
"You were poisoned with something that affected your memory and judgment."
I remembered pieces.
The banquet.
The strange dizziness.
The burning sensation in my throat.
The hallway.
The hotel room.
Sophia.
The note.
I had spent four years blaming myself.
Blaming her.
Blaming that night.
But what if everything had been planned?
"What are you saying?"
Daniel stepped closer.
"I'm saying Sophia wasn't an accident."
A chill ran through me.
"She was targeted."
I turned toward Sophia.
She finally looked at me.
Her eyes were filled with years of pain.
"They wanted to destroy you," she said softly.
"And I was the weapon they planned to use."
My heart sank.
"What?"
Sophia swallowed.
"Victor knew you hated the idea of marriage and children. Everyone in your company knew you believed family was a weakness."
I said nothing.
Because she was right.
"I was supposed to be photographed leaving that hotel with you," she continued.
"The media would have destroyed your reputation."
She looked down.
"But something went wrong."
"What went wrong?"
Her voice trembled.
"I fell in love with you."
The words froze me.
For a moment, I couldn't breathe.
Four years ago...
Before fear.
Before pride.
Before I convinced myself I didn't want a family.
There had been something real between us.
Something I buried.
Something I ran from.
"But when you disappeared the next morning," Sophia said, "I thought you regretted everything."
"I didn't disappear," I whispered.
She looked at me.
"You did."
I had no response.
Because from her perspective...
I had.
"I waited," she continued.
"For weeks."
Her eyes became red.
"Then months."
A tear escaped.
"I waited until I realized I was waiting for someone who wasn't coming."
The guilt became unbearable.
I looked at the three children.
Emma.
Noah.
Liam.
My children.
They were watching me carefully.
Curious.
Confused.
Trying to understand why this stranger looked like he was about to break apart.
Then Liam slowly walked toward me.
Every step felt like a lifetime.
He stopped in front of me.
Looked at my face.
Then touched the back of his own neck.
The exact same habit I had.
The habit I never taught him.
The habit he inherited.
"You look sad," he whispered.
My throat tightened.
"I am."
"Why?"
I looked into his eyes.
Because I missed four years.
Because I wasn't there.
Because I was the reason you needed another man to call Daddy.
But I couldn't say any of that.
So I simply whispered:
"Because I found something I should have found a long time ago."
The little boy tilted his head.
"What?"
I knelt down slowly.
"My family."
For the first time...
Liam didn't step away.
He didn't run.
He just stared at me.
Then he asked the question that shattered the last piece of my heart.
"Are you staying this time?"
I froze.
Because I knew my answer would decide everything.
Not just with Sophia.
Not just with Daniel.
But with three children who had already learned the hardest lesson a child could learn.
That people leave.
I opened my mouth.
But before I could answer...
Sophia's phone suddenly rang.
She looked at the screen.
And her face turned pale.
"What is it?" I asked.
She didn't answer.
Because on the screen was a message from an unknown number.
One sentence.
One name.
One threat.
"Tell Lucas Hart the truth about the fourth child... or we reveal what really happened that night."
