Chapter 3 - The Secret Inside The Report
The airport security gate closed behind us as I whispered: "Why does your name appear on my daughter's custody report?" When Adrian Vale opened the confidential document on his tablet, he discovered a hidden medical record attached to Fiona's birth certificate. But one line was highlighted: "Father: Unknown." Adrian realized someone had erased the truth.
I couldn't move.
The airport continued around us.
People walked past.
Announcements echoed from the ceiling.
Suitcases rolled across the polished floor.
But everything felt distant.
Like I was trapped inside a moment that refused to end.
Adrian Vale.
The billionaire sitting beside me.
The stranger who protected me.
The man whose shoulder my daughter slept on.
His name was connected to Fiona.
My Fiona.
My little girl.
I looked at him, waiting for an explanation.
But Adrian didn't speak immediately.
That scared me more than anything.
Because powerful people always had answers.
They always knew what to say.
But Adrian looked like someone who had just discovered a truth he never wanted to find.
"Blaire."
His voice was quieter now.
"What exactly did Ethan tell you about Fiona's birth?"
My chest tightened.
"Why are you asking me that?"
"Because this report is incomplete."
I stared at him.
"Incomplete?"
He turned the tablet toward me.
The document showed information I had never seen before.
Fiona Sterling.
Date of birth.
Hospital records.
Medical information.
And then...
Father.
Unknown.
I felt a strange mixture of anger and confusion.
"I know what that says."
Adrian looked at me.
"No, you don't."
The seriousness in his voice made me nervous.
"Explain."
He looked around the airport.
Not here.
I understood immediately.
Too many people.
Too many cameras.
Too many chances for someone to hear.
He picked up my bags.
"We need to leave."
I stepped back.
"Why?"
"Because whoever changed this report knows you are alive."
My heart stopped.
"What does that mean?"
Adrian looked at Fiona.
My daughter was still asleep in her stroller.
Completely unaware that adults were fighting over secrets surrounding her existence.
"It means Ethan wasn't searching for you because he wanted his wife back."
His eyes met mine.
"He was searching because he was afraid you would find out the truth."
I hated that sentence.
Because some part of me already knew.
For years, I had felt like something was missing.
Like pieces of my own life had been removed without my permission.
When Fiona was born, Ethan had been strangely distant.
I remembered it clearly.
The hospital room.
The first time he held her.
Everyone expected him to cry.
To smile.
To look like a proud father.
Instead, he stared at the baby for several seconds.
Then he looked at me.
And asked:
"Are you sure the records are correct?"
At the time, I thought he was overwhelmed.
A new father.
A nervous man.
Now, remembering his face...
I wondered if he had been afraid.
Adrian led us toward a private exit.
I followed because I had no better option.
That was the truth I hated admitting.
I didn't trust him completely.
But I trusted him more than the man hunting me.
Outside the airport, a black SUV waited.
I stopped walking.
"No."
Adrian turned.
"What?"
"I don't get into mysterious cars with strangers."
For the first time, a small smile appeared on his face.
"You are right."
He handed me a phone.
"Then call someone you trust."
I looked at the phone.
Then at him.
"I don't have anyone."
The smile disappeared.
Because he understood.
That answer said more than I wanted it to.
He opened the car door.
"You can sit in the back with Fiona. The doors stay unlocked."
I hesitated.
"Why are you helping me?"
He looked at me for a long moment.
Then said something I didn't expect.
"Because eight years ago, someone destroyed my life using the same methods Ethan is using now."
I froze.
"What methods?"
His expression changed.
"Making people disappear."
The words sent a chill through me.
Before I could ask more, Fiona moved.
"Mommy..."
I immediately turned.
"I'm here."
She opened her eyes slowly.
For a second, she looked confused.
Then she saw Adrian.
Her tiny hand reached toward him.
The billionaire froze.
Not because she touched him.
Because of what she said next.
"You're the man from my dream."
I looked at her.
"What?"
Fiona rubbed her eyes.
"The man who told me not to be scared."
Adrian went completely still.
"What did you say?"
Fiona hugged her stuffed bunny.
"You came before."
A strange silence filled the air.
I forced a laugh.
"She's probably confused."
But Adrian wasn't laughing.
He was staring at Fiona like he was trying to remember something impossible.
"Fiona."
The way he said her name sounded different.
Like he had said it before.
Like he had been waiting years to say it.
I noticed.
And that terrified me.
"Have you met my daughter before?"
"No."
His answer came too quickly.
I looked at him.
"You're lying."
He looked away.
That was when I knew.
The stranger on the airplane wasn't just helping me.
He was hiding something.
A few minutes later, we were inside the SUV.
Fiona slept again.
The city moved outside the window.
I sat across from Adrian, refusing to look away.
"You owe me the truth."
"I know."
"Did you know Ethan before today?"
"Yes."
My fingers tightened.
"How?"
Adrian looked down.
"We worked together."
My heart sank.
"What?"
"Years ago."
"Doing what?"
He was silent.
Then:
"Business."
I laughed bitterly.
"That's not an answer."
"No."
His eyes met mine.
"It's not."
The honesty surprised me.
Most people lied when they were cornered.
Adrian admitted when he was hiding something.
Somehow that made it worse.
"Did Ethan know about Fiona?"
Adrian didn't answer.
And that was enough.
I felt sick.
"What does that mean?"
"It means Ethan knew more than he told you."
My voice shook.
"About my daughter?"
"Yes."
"About her father?"
Another silence.
I couldn't handle it anymore.
"Who is Fiona's father?"
Adrian looked out the window.
When he finally spoke, his voice was barely above a whisper.
"I don't know."
I stared at him.
"What?"
"But I know someone erased his identity."
"Who?"
His phone suddenly rang.
He looked at the screen.
His expression changed.
Not fear.
Not surprise.
Recognition.
He answered.
"Tell me."
A woman's voice came through.
I couldn't hear everything.
Only pieces.
"Mr. Vale..."
"...found..."
"...the original file..."
Adrian's face turned pale.
"Where?"
Another pause.
Then he looked directly at me.
The call ended.
"What happened?"
He didn't answer.
He reached into his briefcase and pulled out an old envelope.
My name was written on it.
Blaire Sterling.
My hands went cold.
"I've had this for six years."
I stared at the envelope.
"Why?"
"Because I was told never to open it."
"By who?"
Adrian looked at me.
"By the man who saved your life before Ethan tried to destroy it."
I couldn't breathe.
"Who?"
Adrian slowly opened the envelope.
Inside was a photograph.
A hospital photograph.
A newborn baby.
And a handwritten note.
My hands trembled as I read the first line.
It was written in Ethan's handwriting.
"Dear Adrian, if you are reading this, it means Blaire finally discovered the truth..."
Adrian turned the page.
His eyes widened.
May you like
Because the next sentence revealed a name neither of us expected.
"The real father of Fiona Sterling is..."
