Chapter 26 26
Lucas stepped out of his room, straightening the shirt the nurse had forced on him earlier.
He reached the foyer… and stopped.
The man standing there had his hands in his pockets, posture relaxed like he owned the place. Same old smirk. Same old eyes that never missed anything.
Lucas froze.
The man grinned.
“Long time, Brooks.”
For a second, Lucas genuinely thought his mind was messing with him again. His jaw tightened. His fingers curled slightly at his side.
“You,” Lucas muttered, barely audible.
The man stepped forward, unfazed by the tension.
“You look like hell, man. What—did I catch you at a bad time?”
Lucas didn’t blink. He didn’t answer. His heart was beating too fast again, but not from panic this time.
“Why are you here?” Lucas finally asked, voice low.
The man smiled wider.
“I came to talk about the girl.”
Lucas’s eyes flickered—just once—but he didn’t move.
“What girl?” he said quietly, but the strain in his voice betrayed him.
The man chuckled.
“Oh, come on, Brooks. You know exactly which one.”
And Lucas felt his entire body go rigid.
Lucas swallowed hard, pressing his palm to his forehead as a sharp ache pushed behind his eyes.
“It’s been years, Mr. Cole,” he muttered. “Years. And still no results. I thought we—”
His voice cracked a little, and he shut his eyes, trying to steady himself.
Cole lifted both hands casually, like he was calming a child.
“Chill, Mr. Brooks,” he said with that same irritating confidence. “Relax. I’m back because—”
He stepped closer, lowering his voice.
“—she might be in the city.”
Lucas’s head snapped up, breath catching.
“What did you just say?”
Cole nodded once, serious now.
“I got a lead. A real one this time.”
Lucas took a shaky step back, gripping the railing beside him. His heart pounded in his chest, loud and ugly.
“No…” he whispered. “No, that’s not possible. If she was here—” His voice shook. “I would’ve known.”
Cole raised a brow.
“Would you? You’ve been… distracted.”
Lucas’s throat tightened the moment Cole said it.
He blinked, slow and heavy, like his brain needed time to load the words properly.
“Mr. Cole…” Lucas whispered. “We already concluded she might be dead.”
Cole shook his head immediately. “No. I’m not buying that theory anymore.”
Lucas pressed a hand to his temple, a sharp ache spiking behind his eyes.
“Cole, we searched for years. There was nothing. No trace. No ID. No calls. No movement. You told me yourself—”
“I told you what the evidence suggested,” Cole corrected. “Not what I believed.”
Lucas looked away, jaw flexing. The shadows under his eyes were darker now, the episode from earlier still lingering in his body.
Cole took a slow step forward.
“I’m back because something changed,” he said.
“She might be in the city.”
Lucas froze.
His chest rose once… then stopped, like the air got stuck halfway.
“What… did you just say?”
Cole held his gaze, suddenly serious in a way Lucas hadn’t seen in years.
“I got a hit,” he said quietly. “Not a rumor. A solid one. Someone matching her description — and the old tattoo you told me about — was seen.”
Lucas’s hand dropped from his head.
The ache didn’t stop.
But everything inside him did.
“No,” he whispered, shaking his head. “Cole… if she was alive—” his voice cracked— “why didn’t she come back?”
Cole didn’t answer.
He didn’t have to.
Lucas already knew the possibility that terrified him more than her being dead:
She didn’t want to be found.
Lucas staggered back a step, breathing unsteady again.
“Cole… if you’re wrong…” he murmured.
“I’m not,” Cole said. “I’d bet my life on it.”
Lucas shut his eyes, a single thought crashing into him so hard it almost made him lose balance:
If she’s alive… why does my chest hurt like I’m grieving a ghost?
⸻
Cole placed his hands in his pockets, lowering his voice.
“There’s… something else,” he said.
Lucas looked up slowly. “What now?”
Cole hesitated, then spoke anyway.
“There’s a possibility you might have an heir.”
Lucas’s breath stopped.
“My— what?”
“A kid, Lucas,” Cole said quietly. “A child that could be yours. I’m not confirming anything yet. But the timeline fits. The location fits. Everything lines up too perfectly.”
Lucas stared at him, completely still.
Cole stepped closer. “Give me five days. Five. I’ll bring you proof.”
Lucas swallowed hard. His fingers trembled for half a second, barely noticeable.
“If you’re wrong…” Lucas said, voice rough.
“I won’t be,” Cole replied.
A long, heavy silence stretched between them — then Lucas nodded once.
“Five days.”
Lucas exhaled slowly, rubbing his palms together like he was trying to warm dead nerves back to life.
“Thank you, Mr. Cole,” he said quietly. His voice wasn’t strong — more like he was pushing the words out. “I’ll… wait for the update.”
Cole nodded once.
“No problem. Just keep your phone close,” he said. “If this lead is real, things might move fast.”
Lucas stepped back into the house, still replaying Cole’s words in his mind.
When he turned toward the stairs, he stopped.
Olivia was standing there.
Her eyes were swollen.
Her hands shaking just a bit… like she had been about to do something stupid again.
“Lucas…” she started softly, voice weak. “Can we talk? I—”
He didn’t let her finish.
“Olivia, not now,” he said, his tone firm… tired.
“I need time alone.”
She blinked, stunned.
Her lips parted like she wanted to argue, but he didn’t give her the chance. He walked past her and closed the door to his study before her tears could start again.
The moment the door shut, the weight hit his chest.
He pressed his hand against it, leaning back on the door.
His head dropped.
If only I could see you…
He whispered it like a confession slipping out of him.
“If only I could find you,” he breathed, jaw tight. “I’d hug you… and I’d never let go.”
His eyes stung.
A memory slammed into him.
Her soft gasp when he kissed her neck.
How her back arched like she trusted him completely.
He dragged a hand through his hair, breathing hard.
He hadn’t felt that good in years.
And the worst part?
He still couldn’t remember her face… just the tattoo.
Just the feeling.
Lucas shut his eyes and whispered into the empty room:
“Where are you?”