Chapter 2 - THE REUNION IN THE HALLWAY
The sterile fluorescent lights of Mercy General Hospital hummed softly, casting a stark glow over the quiet corridor. Lucas stood motionless, his navy blue suit pristine against the clinical white walls around him.
A few yards away, Nataly’s emerald green sequin gown shimmered beneath the bright lamps, completely out of place in a hospital wing. Between her stood two identical five-year-old boys, their small hands gripping her fingers tightly.
"Lucas..." Nataly whispered, her voice trembling as a single tear escaped her dark lashes.
Lucas took a slow, hesitant step forward, his leather shoes squeaking faintly on the polished linoleum floor. His heart slammed against his ribs with terrifying force as he looked at the young boys.
The child in the powder blue dress shirt looked up at him with dark, wavy hair and deep brown eyes. Beside him, the boy in the light grey polo shirt tilted his head, possessing the exact same jawline that Lucas saw in the mirror every morning.
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"Is this real, Nataly?" Lucas asked, his voice cracking beneath the weight of overwhelming emotional shock. "Five years... you disappeared for five entire years without a word."
"I had no choice, Lucas," Nataly replied, her body shaking as she tried to keep her composure for the children. "If I had stayed in Manhattan, your family would have destroyed us all."
