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C
CASSANDRA
Cassandra is stuck in the elevator with Emilio, feeling awkward and out of place. Her phone buzzes in her bag, pulling her out of her thoughts. It’s the daycare.
“Mrs. Williams, is everything okay?” She prays nothing’s wrong with her little boy.
“Ms. Miller, Alex has a fever and he’s been really fussy. I gave him the medicine you left, but it hasn’t helped. His fever’s even higher than it was an hour ago.”
Cassandra’s heart drops. She feels her face go pale and her knees wobble. She grabs the railing for support. “I’ll be right there, Mrs. Williams. Did you try giving him a bath to cool him down?”
“No, we didn’t. I was so worried, it slipped my mind.” Cassandra can hear the worry in Mrs. Williams’s voice, and it scares her.
“I’m on my way, Mrs. Williams. I’m not sure how long it’ll take, I’m taking the subway, but I’ll get there as fast as I can.”
As soon as she hangs up, the elevator doors open. She rushes out, bumping into someone and mumbling a quick, “Sorry.”
Just as she’s about to leave the bank, a strong hand grabs her arm, pulling her back as a delivery man walks in with a stack of boxes. She looks up and sees Emilio, who she’d completely forgotten about.
“Watch out,” he warns.
“I have to go,” she says, trying to
pull her arm free. But his grip tightens.
“You look worried. What happened?” he asks.
His concern seems real, and for a moment, she wants to tell him everything. But all she says is, “Someone I care about is sick. I need to get home.”
“I’ll drive you.”
His offer surprises her, but before she know..
father.
it, she’s in the back of his SUV. She’s on her way to the daycare with her boss, with Alex’s
She knows the office will be buzzing with gossip tomorrow, but right now, she doesn’t care. All she cares about is her son.
Twenty minutes later, they pull up at the daycare. Cassandra rushes inside, not even checking if Emilio is following her.
“Mrs. Williams,” she calls, heading straight for the back where the kids are.
“Ms. Miller, come in. He’s in here,” Mrs. Williams calls from the bathroom.
Cassandra walks in to see her little boy sitting in the bathtub, crying. She kneels down next to him, touching his hot cheeks. His cries get louder.
“He needs a doctor. Where are his clothes?”
She hears whispers and turns to see Mrs. Williams and another woman staring at Emilio. What’s he doing here? She thought he’d left.
She doesn’t have time to think about that now. She needs to get Alex dressed, even if it means Emilio will find out the truth.
“He must be little Alex’s father,” Mrs. Williams says.
Cassandra freezes as she reaches for Alex’s diaper. Why can’t Mrs. Williams keep her mouth shut? She’s not helping.
She finishes dressing Alex without looking at Emilio.
UNLIMITED
re’s no denying the resemblance,” Mrs. Williams continues.
EMILIANO
When Emiliano heard Cassie say “him” on the phone in the elevator, he’d glanced at her hand. No ring. She wasn’t married or engaged. Good, he’d thought.
But he hadn’t expected this.
Chapter 4 of 57: Chapter 4
12:47 PM
Good, he’d thought.
But he hadn’t expected this.
He’d followed her into the daycare out of curiosity. He never imagined she’d have a baby.
Now, as Mrs. Williams–Cassie had called her that says he must be the baby’s father, Emiliano is full of questions. He sees Cassie stiffen. Why isn’t she saying anything?
He opens his mouth to correct Mrs. Williams, but the words die when he sees the baby’s face. He feels like all the air has been sucked out of his lungs.
The baby looks just like him. Dark hair, dark eyes, thick eyebrows, and most shocking of all–a dark birthmark under his ear. Without thinking, Emiliano reaches up to touch his own birthmark in the same spot.
His great–grandfather, grandfather, and late father all had that mark. It’s a family trait. Is this his son?
He hears Cassie say, “I need to get him to the doctor, Mrs. Williams. Thanks for calling.” Then she turns and walks past him, her focus only on her son.
Emiliano catches up with Cassie as she tries to flag down a taxi. He grabs her arm and guides her back into his car, taking the baby bag from her and telling his driver, “Hospital José.”
Next Chapter
