“You have no idea the number of times over the years I’ve thought about it. The one thing I did give my brother was to acknowledge the birth. Our fathers got angry with me for not following their lead, but I refused to gaslight Zeller by going along with the appendectomy story. Even Antoni pretended. So did Jem and the household staff. They all acted as if he’d never been pregnant. But with me, his pain was seen. He tried looking for the baby after Father and Daddy let him go online and leave the house again. But of course, there were no records. Gleason closed his agency the week after Ryde was born. Once, Zeller went to the hospital and tried to get information—he didn’t know that he gave birth at a medical office and not there—and the staff just looked at him with pity. At least with me, his truth was validated.”
“I can’t even imagine his agony,” Assa hushed out.
“But why didn’t you tell him about us?” Wes persisted. “Ease his mind?”
Asher’s eyes flashed before his features dissolved into resignation. “I realized too late that my parents are unredeemable monsters. The night they took Zeller away, I promised him I’d do everything I could to help his son. And I did. As Ryde Pashuk, he’s a normal kid, living a normal life. But the years after the birth changed my brother completely. He stopped laughing. Stopped smiling. His pain was omnipresent.If I had told Zeller about knowing who adopted his baby, he would not have settled for my assurances that Ryde was safe. He would have moved mountains to find him. But after everything they’d done tomanage the situationand protect the family name, our fathers never would have allowed Zeller to be reunited with his baby. Never. And I couldn’t risk finding out just how far they’d go to prevent it.”
“Are you insinuating that your parents would have…hurtZeller, to keep the secret?” Assa asked.
“After the baby was born, and Zeller hit every dead end trying to get information on him, he took to his suite and wouldn’t come out. He refused to participate in any of the society events our fathers tried to drag him to. Father and Daddy believed he would eventually move on and go back to the life he had before the baby. But he never did. He stayed in his room and seethed. He had his books and his art, but he was a shell of the person he’d been. Our fathers couldn’t bend him to their will, but they also wouldn’t emancipate him. I think they were worried about what he might say to the media. So they hatched a new plan to protect their image, planting the seed that their poor, unfortunate son hadissues. That was why he was never seen in society. If he attempted to reveal our parents’ misdeeds when he self-emancipated at twenty-five, he would fail. He would be labeled as someone with mental problems.” Asher looked at Assa. “So, yes, if Zeller had undermined that narrative by searching for you two earlier, making his situation public, I believe they would have done whatever they could to stop him. Put him in an institution. Or something worse.”
Assa sucked in a breath.
“So Zeller left home at twenty-five?” Wes asked.
“On his birthday. Didn’t tell anyone ahead of time. Just walked downstairs that morning and said he was leaving. I wasn’t there that day, so I didn’t even get to say goodbye.”
“He sounds very brave,” Assa said. “To strike out on his own like that, after everything that happened.”
“Very brave,” Asher agreed. “He didn’t leave with much. Only pocket change and some clothes.”
“Do you know where he went?”
“No. After a few weeks, our parents searched for him—quietly—but were unsuccessful. They had the resources to look harder, of course, but didn’t want to draw attention. I imagine they thought he would come home quickly, but he never did. And he didn’t go to the media like they’d been so worried about either. He just vanished.”
“He didn’t confide in you his plan to leave?” Assa asked gently.
“No.” Asher sighed. “We were close growing up, but he never forgave me for not helping him escape when he was pregnant. I was his sounding board because I was the only one who acknowledged the birth, but that wasn’t much. Not enough for him to keep me in his life, anyway.”
“But something’s changed? You must have a lead on him since you think he’s figured out our identities now. That’s why you’re here?”
Asher nodded. “A few months ago, a private investigator came to our town in Warburton asking questions about Zeller’s baby. He tried to interview Antoni and some of the household staff. He visited all the adoption agencies and the hospital. That’s how I found out. A buddy of mine works in the emergency department.”
“You think Zeller hired the PI?”
“I can’t imagine who else it would be.”
“The alpha father?”
Asher scowled. “No. He’s not in the picture. I already said. Besides, some of the PI’s questions included information only Zeller would know.”
Wes steepled his fingers. “You came all this way and revealed this entire story to us because an investigator was asking questions?”
“Not just that. The PI, Dawson, is based out of Bellwether Province. It makes me think Zeller is here. That would explain why we never found him in the past two years. None of us thought he’d leave Warburton.” Asher scraped his hand over his jaw. “Seems I’ll never learn my lesson about underestimating my little brother.”
“Just because the PI is based here doesn’t mean Zeller is,” Assa reasoned.
“But it’s far more likely.” Asher could not disguise the hope in his voice.
“Did this Dawson person find out anything useful?” Wes asked.
“Not to my knowledge, but assuming he’s the one behind it, my brother’s not going to give up. And for Ryde’s sake, you deserve to be prepared.” Asher straightened his posture. “I found a job in Bellwether so I can look for Zeller. I miss him, even if he can’t forgive me.”
“Forgiving family members who’ve hurt you is tricky,” Assa said. “Time sometimes helps.”
“Perhaps,” Asher allowed, then cleared his throat. “I realize I’ve given you a lot of information, but if you think of more questions, I’ll be around.” He stood, prompting Wes and Assa to do the same.
Assa wrung his hands together. “Even if your brother finds us, he can’t do anything about Ryde, right? I mean, I feel for Zeller, I truly do, but our adoption was legal.”
