Chapter 1: The Woman He Buried Was Still Alive
Chapter 1: The Woman He Buried Was Still Alive
Alexander's convoy came to an abrupt stop.
Traffic horns blared around them, but he heard nothing.
His eyes were locked on the ragged woman kneeling beside the road, shielding a little boy from the cold drizzle.
"Brianna..."
The name escaped his lips as nothing more than a broken whisper.
The woman slowly lifted her head.
Her once-bright blue eyes were dull and vacant. Dirt covered her face, and her long hair had become a tangled mess. Deep scars ran across her arms where old IV needles had once pierced her skin.
She stared at Alexander as though he were a complete stranger.
One of the bodyguards stepped forward.
"Sir, she's dangerous. We should leave."
Alexander shoved him aside.
He knelt before the trembling woman, tears filling his eyes.
"It's me... Alex."
No response.
He reached for her hand.
The instant his fingers touched hers, Brianna screamed in terror.
"No more needles!"
She curled into herself, clutching the little boy.
"Please... don't take my baby..."
Alexander's heart shattered.
The doctors had told him she died peacefully.
They had lied.
She hadn't died.
She had survived...
Only to be abandoned, tortured by years of untreated trauma, and left to wander the streets believing everyone wanted to hurt her.
The little boy suddenly stood in front of Brianna.
"Don't touch my mommy!"
Alexander froze.
"Your... mommy?"
The child nodded fiercely.
"I protect her."
Alexander looked carefully at the boy's face.
The child had Brianna's eyes.
But...
His smile.
His jawline.
His dimples.
They looked painfully familiar.
A terrifying possibility flashed through Alexander's mind.
May you like
The unborn child...
Had survived.
