flash
Vivian Carter, now Dr. Vivian Carter, stood in the bustling corridor of St. Jude’s Community Clinic, her white coat flapping against her knees. Her stethoscope hung around her neck like a protective talisman. On her desk sat a framed photograph: a little boy with dark, chaotic hair and eyes the exact shade of slate-gray rain over Lake Michigan. / Chapter 4 / 10

Chapter 4 - The Truth Comes to LightThe door of Vivian’s cramped office slammed shut, locking behind them with a definitive click.

Adrian stood by the small window, staring out at the gray streets of Garden View. Vivian sat behind her metal desk, her hands folded tightly over a patient folder, refusing to look at him.

"She lied to you," Vivian said quietly, her voice devoid of emotion now. "Eleanor called me to the estate. She put fifty thousand dollars on a table and told me to disappear because a medical resident with student loans didn't fit into the Holloway dynasty."

Adrian closed his eyes, pressing his forehead against the cold glass. "I know. I found the ledger entries a year later. I fired her lawyers, cut her out of the family board, and haven't spoken to her since. But that doesn't excuse... why you didn't reach out. Why didn't you call me, Vivian?"

Vivian laughed—a dry, bitter sound that held no humor.

"Call you? With what phone, Adrian? I threw your ring into Lake Michigan. I changed my number, packed two suitcases, and ran because your mother threatened to blacklist me from every medical facility in the country. And she would have done it. I had a baby growing inside me, and I couldn't afford to be proud."

Adrian turned around, his expression tortured. "I would have protected you. I would have fought her."

"You couldn't even fight her when we were together!" Vivian snapped, standing up so fast her chair screeched against the floor. "You were thirty-one years old and you still flinched when she walked into a room! I didn't need a savior, Adrian. I needed a partner. And when it mattered most, you chose your comfort over us."

Adrian flinched as if he had been physically struck. The words hit him harder than any fist because they were entirely true.

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The heavy mahogany door of the dressing room seemed to close in on us, trapping the suffocating tension inside. Richard’s hands were shaking as he clutched the small, tarnished silver pendant. His knuckles were bone-white.

The heavy mahogany door of the dressing room seemed to close in on us, t...

The heavy silver fork slipped from my fingers, clattering sharply against the gold-rimmed porcelain of my dinner plate.

The heavy silver fork slipped from my fingers, clattering sharply agains...

The heavy mahogany door of the Fairmont Copley suite clicked shut with a muffled, expensive thud.

The heavy mahogany door of the Fairmont Copley suite clicked shut with a...

"I'm not that man anymore," he whispered hoarsely. "I haven't been for a long time."

"Well, congratulations," Vivian said, pointing sharply toward the door. "You found us. You saw him. Now take your money, take your foundation checks, and get the hell out of Garden View before I have security throw you out."

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