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My stare is fixated on him, unable to even blink. My heart stops momentarily, to only begin beating seconds later. Amelia’s hand is still in mine. I’m squeezing so tight I must be hurting her.
I don’t know how to feel.
I should be relieved. The burden is lifted off me. Yet, for almost three days, I thought this kid belonged to me. Something in the universe shifted during this time. I was forced to put my life under a microscope and re-evaluate everything I’ve ever known. And now what? I walk away and forget this even happened?
“Will, I know this is difficult, but we need your help.” Charlie treads carefully while Dr. Rossmore appears somewhat disappointed by the outcome. “Do you know who the father could be?”
I gently remove my hand from Amelia’s, taking a seat on the plastic chair when it all becomes too much. Burying my head into my hands, I beg the emotions to calm down so I can answer Charlie.
“She told me she had an affair with her former boss. He was married and had children. That’s all I know.”
“We can try to work backward. Check her social account or professional profile and see if we can pinpoint her employment and go from there,” Mom suggests, patting my shoulder gently before she excuses herself with Charlie to solve the missing piece to this fucked-up puzzle.
Instinctively, I move toward the window, staring through the glass at the baby. Life is unfair. Being his father is something I never wanted until it was taken away from me. What will become of him now? Despite my parents driving me insane at times, I couldn’t have imagined this life without them.
“It’s okay to be sad.” Amelia stands beside me, her expression just as fallen. “You would have made a great father.”
“I should be relieved,” I admit with a croak in my voice. “It’s not my problem anymore, so why do I feel this enormous guilt?”
Amelia sighs heavily. “Because right now, that little boy has no one aside from Gordon and Mildred. We’ve been blessed, Will. From day one, we’ve known no different but to feel the unconditional love of our parents. I wish I could hold him, tell him it’ll be okay. No one deserves this, especially him.”
Mom comes up beside us. “We think we found him. Her social media account had her employed at Knight Industries in London as an Executive Assistant. The executive listed on the company's website is Stewart Knight.
“Stewart Knight,” I mumble under my breath. “I know who he is.”
“You know him?” Charlie and Amelia ask in unison.
“Not personally, but he is part of the four Knight brothers,” I tell them, then sigh dejectedly. “Lex knows Stewart too.”
My mother nods quietly. “Time to make the call.”
I don’t listen as they walk away, keeping my gaze fixated on the baby only for them to return moments later.
“What did he say?” Amelia questions with eyes wide.
“I got his secretary.”
The phone begins to ring in Mom’s hand.
“Nikki Romano.” Silence follows her greeting while she keeps her expression blank. “Stewart, thank you for returning my call.”
Once again, they walk away, which is for the best. Mom and Charlie are trained to handle these situations, given their legal background. A few minutes later, they return.
“Stewart was shocked to hear of Ashley’s death,” Mom informs us. “He didn’t deny nor confirm he was in a relationship with her but agreed to fly here. What a coincidence, he is actually in Manhattan, so he expects to be here later this afternoon.”
“So, what do we do now?” I ask, placing my arm over Amelia and pulling her into me.
Inside my embrace, Amelia softly mentions. “There’s somewhere I’d like to go.”
Gordon and Mildred Stone’s place is a condo inside a retirement village. I remember Ashley telling me this is why she moved away to London.
The rooms are incredibly small, cluttered with memorabilia from the seventies. They appear to have a liking to Elvis, a cabinet full of souvenirs from Graceland.
Adorning the walls are photographs of people, assuming family, and several of Ashley in her teen years. Seeing her face again brings back fond memories of our night together. I may have been drunk, though still able to recall a few conversations in which we laughed over.
Mildred Stone is wheelchair-bound. According to Gordon, she suffered a stroke a few months ago and hasn’t reg
ained her strength to walk for long periods of time.
