Chapter 5: Ethan Learns the Truth
Ethan’s POV
The drive to Silverhaven felt like it took hours, though I knew it was only a few minutes from the city. The town’s oppressive fog had always unsettled me, but today, it felt worse than usual, as if the air itself was thick with secrets, whispers that were trying to claw their way to the surface.
I should’ve done this sooner—tracked her down, forced answers out of her, but I had kept my distance. The pull toward Olivia had always been there, but it wasn’t just physical. There was something more, something buried deep inside me that had only begun to resurface in the last few weeks.
The reports from my informants had painted a picture of a woman desperately trying to hide from her past. She’d kept Leo from me, hidden everything, but the trail of secrets was starting to unravel. The thing that bothered me most? I couldn’t remember her telling me about the pregnancy. She had vanished so quickly after that night, slipping through my fingers like a shadow. I should’ve stopped her. I should’ve known something wasn’t right.
I parked my black SUV outside a small, run-down building on the outskirts of Silverhaven, the only place that still had records from the town’s medical facilities. It wasn’t a hospital. It was more of a makeshift clinic, somewhere for the town’s forgotten citizens to go when they couldn’t afford anything better.
Stepping out of the car, I adjusted the collar of my jacket, the cool wind cutting through the air. I didn’t care about the chill; I had questions—too many of them—and I wasn’t leaving here without answers.
Inside, the building smelled of antiseptic and old paper, a musty scent that seemed to settle into the very bones of the place. The clerk behind the desk barely looked up as I approached, the glow of a flickering computer screen reflecting in his tired eyes.
“Can I help you?” he asked, his voice bored, indifferent.
“I’m looking for records,” I said, my tone more commanding than I’d intended. “Olivia Hawthorne. She used to live here. I need everything you have on her—her medical records, anything that can give me a clue.”
The clerk’s eyes narrowed, his fingers hesitant above the keyboard. “I’m not sure if we keep that kind of information—”
“Don’t make me remind you of who I am,” I interrupted, my patience thin. “I don’t have time for this. Just find the records.”
The clerk swallowed, his face blanching slightly as he quickly started typing. I stood still, watching him. His fingers moved faster now, but it was too late. I already knew he was afraid. Silverhaven wasn’t a place where secrets were easily buried, and he knew who I was, even if he wasn’t sure why I was here. I wasn’t just any outsider—I was the one who controlled everything from the shadows. The one people whispered about when they thought I couldn’t hear.
After a tense few minutes, the clerk turned the screen toward me, showing a list of files. Olivia Hawthorne’s name was at the top, along with a series of dates that seemed to span years.
“Here,” he said, his voice lower now. “All her visits.”
I scanned the screen, my eyes moving rapidly over the details, until I found what I was looking for: a record marked “Pregnancy Test—Positive.” The date was a few months before she’d disappeared from my life.
I gripped the counter, my pulse thudding in my temples. “What happened to her pregnancy?” I asked, my voice low, controlled.
The clerk hesitated again, clearly uncomfortable, but he finally muttered, “She left town right after the test. No follow-up. We didn’t hear from her after that.”
I nodded, already knowing the answer. Olivia had left Silverhaven, gone into hiding with my child.
“Where is she now?” I asked, my voice sharper this time.
“I don’t know,” the clerk muttered, shaking his head. “She was always a quiet one. Never caused trouble. I thought she left town for good, honestly. But... there were rumors.”
“Rumors?” I prompted, my voice ice-cold.
He looked up at me, his eyes avoiding mine. “Some said she had a baby, a boy. A kid who... looked like you.”
My stomach dropped, the air leaving my lungs. “What do you mean, ‘looked like me’?” I asked, barely keeping the rage in check.
He glanced at me nervously. “Some of the locals say he has eyes like yours. Same hair, too. It’s strange... but that’s what they said.”
I felt the weight of his words crash down on me. I had a son. A son I didn’t know about.
The world felt like it was spinning, my head a blur of thoughts, the pieces of the puzzle finally clicking together in the most horrific way possible. But there was no time to process it. I had to find her—find them—before it was too late.
I turned away from the clerk, my mind racing. Olivia had kept my son from me, hidden him away in this cursed town, and now she was gone again.
I stormed out of the building, the cold night air slapping me in the face. My heart was pounding, my thoughts a tangle of fury and confusion. How could she have kept this from me? How could she have hidden a part of me from the world, from the man who should’ve been by her side?
I got back into the car, slamming the door with more force than necessary. I didn’t care. Nothing mattered except finding Olivia and getting answers.
My phone buzzed in my pocket, and I pulled it out to see a message from my informant, Hudson Reed, the one person in Silverhaven who might know more than anyone else. His messages were always cryptic, but I knew better than to ignore him.
I know what you’re looking for. I can help. But be careful. There are things you don’t understand about her. About Leo. They’re not just hiding from you... they’re hiding from something much darker.
I frowned, tapping on the screen to reply.
What do you mean?
The phone vibrated again almost immediately.
The child... he may not just be yours. You need to get to her. Now. Before it’s too late.
My breath caught in my throat.
What did Hudson mean?
I didn’t have time to think it through. The urgency in his message was enough to send a chill down my spine. I needed to act, and fast.
I threw the car into drive and sped down the road, the headlights cutting through the night as I tried to make sense of everything. What did Hudson know? Was he implying that Leo wasn’t my son, or was there something worse at play? Was there something more dangerous than just a simple pregnancy to all of this?
I pushed the thoughts aside for now. There would be time to figure it out later.
But just as I was about to pull out of Silverhaven and head toward the place I knew Olivia was hiding, my phone buzzed again.
This time, it wasn’t Hudson. It was a local number—one I didn’t recognize. Hesitating for a moment, I answered the call.
“Ethan Cross,” I said, my voice firm.
A low voice responded, and I could hear the faintest tremor of fear in his words.
“Mr. Cross... you need to know something about Olivia’s son. He’s not just a regular child. He... he’s tied to something older. Something powerful.”
I felt a cold sweat on my neck, a rising sense of dread creeping over me.
“What are you talking about?” I demanded, gripping the steering wheel harder.
The man’s voice dropped lower, almost a whisper. “He’s yours, but... he’s also something else. Something no one can control.”
The line went dead.
And just like that, the questions grew deeper.
I wasn’t sure if I wanted to know the answers anymore.