Chapter 5 - The Truth Unearthed
Finding Isabella was not difficult once Damian unleashed the full resources of his organization without Victor’s interference. Within twelve hours, his private investigator delivered a dossier to his desk.
Isabella Hayes. Current residence: 412 Caldwell Street, Harrow Falls, Pennsylvania. Occupation: Director of Youth Programs at the Harrow Falls Community Center. Dependent: Eli Hayes (Age 9).
Damian opened the attached photos. His breath caught.
There was Isabella, her hair still dark and long, laughing as she carried a box of art supplies into a modest brick building. She looked older, with faint lines of worry around her eyes, but she looked beautiful. Safe.
And then there was Eli.
Damian’s hand trembled as he held the photo of his son. The boy was wearing a soccer jersey that was slightly too big for him. He was smiling, holding a trophy, but his expression was serious, his eyes assessing. He had Damian’s jaw, his brow, his dark, intense gaze. But there was a kindness in his face that could only have come from Isabella.
“My God,” Damian whispered, a tear slipping down his cheek—the first tear he had shed since he was a child. “What have I done?”
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He did not call his lawyers. He did not send a security detail. Damian packed a single suitcase, left his Chicago operations in the hands of his trusted lieutenant, and got into his car. He drove through the night, leaving the towering skyscrapers behind, heading toward the rolling hills of Pennsylvania.
He had no plan. He had no right to ask for forgiveness. But he knew he could not live another day in the lie.
