Richard stayed frozen in the doorway for several seconds, framed by the dim hallway light behind him. His face had gone pale, and the steady beeping of the hospital monitor beside my bed suddenly felt too loud\u2014like the only thing in the room still telling the truth.<\/p>\n
I lifted my mother\u2019s torn letter.<\/p>\n
\u201cWho removed the last page?\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard looked at the paper, then at me. His lips parted slightly\u2014but no words came.<\/p>\n
That silence was enough.<\/p>\n
Something inside me folded inward. Not anger. Anger would have been easier. What I felt first was something heavier\u2014disappointment\u2014settling into my chest like cold water.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou promised me,\u201d I said quietly. \u201cNo more secrets.\u201d<\/p>\n
He stepped closer. \u201cEmma\u2014\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cNo.\u201d My voice shook, but I held it steady. \u201cDon\u2019t say my name like it can fix what you did. Ashley called me. She said the letter wasn\u2019t complete. She told me to ask you about the baby at Vale Harbor.\u201d<\/p>\n
Richard closed his eyes.<\/p>\n
Everything in the room seemed to shift with that name.<\/p>\n
When he finally opened them again, his posture had changed\u2014less controlled, more burdened, as if something long carried had finally started to break him.<\/p>\n
I lowered the letter. \u201cWhat baby?\u201d<\/p>\n
He sat down slowly at the edge of my bed, hands tightly clasped.<\/p>\n
\u201cYour mother wasn\u2019t the only pregnant woman at Vale Harbor,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
My entire body went still.<\/p>\n
\u201cMy hand instinctively moved toward my stomach, as if remembering the shape of Lucas even now, though he was already born.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
PART 3 \u2014 The Truth Beneath the Silence Richard stayed frozen in the doorway for several seconds, framed by the dim hallway light behind him. His face had gone pale, and the steady beeping...<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1788","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"yoast_head":"\n