05.Unlikely Alliances

                               Mia Miller              

"Come with me," the man said, guiding me through the nightclub.

The atmosphere had changed since that night.  The decor of the club now exude sophistication.

As he opened the door to that office, my heart raced, knowing I would face the father of my child.

Upon entering, I found a harsh and cold version of him. 

Now his jaw was more defined, muscles evident under the blue shirt and hair a little longer. 

I looked at his face, realizing I didn’t even know the father of my son.

I began to speak, my hands trembling with every word. "He is your son."

He paused for a moment, stunned. His gaze was icy, seeming not to believe it.

"That pup is not mine," he stated without looking at me.

"Why would I lie? I went years without telling you and now you think I’m lying? And why are you referring to my son as if he were an animal?"

"Do you think I'm going to believe this story? Is it money you want, human?"

"I don't even know your last name." I ran my hand through my hair.

"You show up here, telling me we have a child kidnapped, and you think it's all normal? I didn't even remember you existed," he shouted.

My mind flashed back to the moment I gave myself to this man. How could I have been so stupid?

"I don't want your money or anything like that," I murmured. "The only thing I want is my son back. I don't know who else to turn to, and that's the only reason I'm here."

"Why didn't you tell me?" He grabbed my arm tightly.

I stared at him with tears streaming down my face. 

Of all the times I imagined this scene, this was the worst case scenario.

I felt like a terrible mother. I gave my son a father I didn’t even know, and I didn’t understand why there were several security guards outside, or why he seemed rich yet suspicious.

All my suspicions were confirmed when he advanced towards me, making every hair on my body stand on end.

He remained silent for a moment, assessing me with distrust.

"If this is true, you will need to tell me all the details. Don’t hide anything, or things will get very bad for you."

I took a deep breath. My heart was pounding, and fear settled into every fiber of my being.

"After that night we... I started feeling some things in the following weeks. So I decided to take a test."

He punched the wall in anger. "The damn condom, I didn't use it."

The silence that followed was broken only by my irregular breathing.

Fear was present in every word I spoke, as I tried to maintain my composure under his gaze.

"I was completely alone. How could I reach out to the guy I slept with just one night and tell him I was expecting a child? Besides, I didn't even know who you were."

I made a motion to open my purse and calmly took out my phone, raising the wallpaper image of Lorenzo. Ethan seemed to analyze the picture, his eyes fixed on the screen, not knowing what to say to me.

"He looks just like me..." His voice carried a mix of shock and irritation. "Damn you, how could you do this?" he growled.

My fingers trembled as I stood up from the chair, holding the phone, showing the photo of our son, the only visible connection between us at that time. He seemed to be upset.

"I’m not lying," I insisted, keeping my gaze fixed on his. " It all happened so fast."

He ran a hand through his hair, painted frustration on his face.

"The last thing I wanted was to get you involved in this, but somebody took my baby." Let’s do the paternity test."

He walked around the room twice, making my anxiety grow even more.

"I don’t need a test. He’s identical to me."

"So, will you help me?" I begged, holding my phone with Lorenzo’s photo as if it could convey my anguish.

A tense sigh escaped his lips as he processed the information.

"I will help you."

A momentary relief covered my body. A smile formed on my lips, mixed with the moisture of the tears that threatened to fall.

Ethan stopped in front of me, his irregular breathing close to mine, creating an uncomfortable proximity. We were so close, I could feel his warmth.

He leaned in towards my ear, his whispering voice sending shivers down my spine.

"When I find him, forget that he is your son, human, he will be part of my people."

A chill ran down my spine, partly from the promise, partly from the sudden proximity. I tried to maintain composure in the face of the situation, but I wasn't going to hand my son over to this lunatic!

Before I could protest or scream, he ended the conversation with an authoritative tone.

"Go home. Tomorrow morning, my driver will come for you. And don't tell anyone."

My hands trembled as I put the phone back in my bag, while tears continued to roll down my face. Ethan's words echoed in my mind.

"How… You can't do this." The words came out amidst sobs.

"I can do anything, human."

An unexpected alliance was forming in the desperate search for Lorenzo, but at what cost?

The answer was beyond my comprehension.

I walked down the office corridor, flanked by two strange men.

The security guard, impassive, reinforced that he had explicit orders to take me home. How could I refuse? I got into the car with my heart pounding in my chest, my thoughts tumultuous in the face of what was happening.

With the phone in my hands, I considered calling the police.  But, an unsettling feeling stopped me. I couldn't risk Lorenzo's life. I looked around suspiciouslyead, feeling afraid.

Every corner increased the distance between me and the club.

An SMS arrived on my phone, an unknown number. It was him...

"Here is my phone number, let's resolve this soon."

Upon arriving home, I threw my bag on the couch and ran to my father, I was going to make up a story.

He was already weakened by the treatment, and I couldn't worry him.

I wouldn't be able to sleep without knowing where my son was.

"Dad," I shouted, "Dad, I'm home. Have you taken your medicine?" I shouted again after not hearing any response.

I quickly entered the room when my father didn't answer.

As I stepped in, I felt my hands sweating and chills immediately invading my body.

A muffled scream escaped my lips when I found him collapsed on the floor next to the armchair. I ran, kneeling beside him, shaking him frantically.

"Dad," my eyes filled with tears when I realized he wasn't responding.

With trembling hands, I called for emergency services, explaining what had happened amidst sobs and tears. Every second that passed felt like an eternity, and the feeling of helplessness consumed me inside.

When the paramedics arrived, deep down, I knew it was already too late. They tried to revive him, but their efforts were in vain. Unfortunately, he couldn't withstand the cancer.

My father was gone.

My son was kidnapped, and I didn’t even know where he was or if he was alive. 

 I didn’t have the strength to form a sentence.

I dropped to my knees on the floor, questioning why there was so much pain.

Likewise, I grabbed my phone and dialed Charlotte's number multiple times; she was the only person I still had.

But to no avail, she didn't answer.

I didn't know what to do as I looked at the ambulance lights in front of me. In a desperate act, I ended up dialing the most unlikely number.

Ethan.

"I need help," I said between sobs.