Eva just nodded, a tight jerk of the head, her chin quivering as she fought back hot, relentless tears. She hadn't cried when Daniel left. She hadn't cried when the room turned. But now, in the face of unexpected kindness, she almost unraveled.
Backstage, security guards closed in around her. They moved fast, professional.
She was led out the back exit of the event centre and into a black SUV. It belonged to the good Samaritan actor, the stranger who had stepped in where her own husband had vanished. Daniel had left with the only car they'd brought. Left her to face the fallout, alone. The abandonment stung more than anything.
As the driver pulled away, tires screeching against the pavement, Eva's private phone began to ring. She fished it out of her purse with numb fingers, half-expecting it to be Daniel. She didn't know what she'd say to him. Why didn't you believe me? How could you think I'd betray you like that? She wasn't sure which question would kill her more.
But it wasn't him.
It was the nanny.
Eva answered immediately, breath still shaky. "Hello?"
"Madam!" the nanny's voice came through in panicked shrieks. "Something terrible has happened. Leo—Leo has been kidnapped! They just came and ripped him out of my hands!"
The words didn't register at first.
"Wait—what? What?...What do you mean kidnapped? Who? When?!"
"They broke in through the back door, Madam! Two men, masked! They didn't say anything, they just grabbed him and ran!"
Eva's entire body went still. The tears that had been hovering dried instantly, replaced by a flood of pure, soul-consuming terror. Her baby. Her Leo. Her heartbeat. Kidnapped?
"No, no, no," she gasped. "You're lying. You have to be lying. This—this can't be real. Is this a prank? Tell me this is a sick, horrible prank!"
"I swear on my life, Madam!" the nanny wailed. "They took him! I tried—I tried to fight them! They shoved me and I—I didn't even get a look at the car!"
Eva's scream tore out of her throat, so primal the driver slammed on the brakes in reflex. "TAKE ME HOME! NOW!"
Eva curled forward in her seat, hands gripping her scalp, her heart pounding hard.
First, her dignity.
Then, her husband.
Now, her son.
The phone dropped from Eva's fingers and hit the floor. Her lungs seized. Her heartbeat stuttered in her chest.
"No," she whispered. "No! Not my son… not my Leo…" She curled inward, pressing trembling hands to her mouth as though she could physically hold back the scream clawing its way up her throat. "Please God... no!!!"
It was a tearing, a rending. A mother's worst nightmare yanked into brutal, unimaginable reality. This felt like the universe had reached into her chest and yanked out her soul.
*****
Six Years Later
The wheels of the plane hadn't even touched the tarmac before Eva felt the tremor in her bones. She adjusted the drawstrings of her hoodie and slipped her sunglasses on more securely, her movements precise. Five years in Paris had taught her how to hide in plain sight.
Now, she was back. Because there was a lead. A real one.
As she slid into the back seat of the waiting black SUV, the driver gave her a silent nod, his eyes catching hers in the rearview mirror but wisely not asking questions.
Her hands trembled as she reached into her purse and retrieved a worn, creased photo. A baby, barely three months old, smiled up at her with a gummy grin, his chubby hands mid-clap. The corners of the photo were frayed from over-handling, and the image itself had begun to fade slightly, but to Eva, it was sacred. A frozen piece of her heart.
"I'm coming for you, buddy," she whispered, pressing the picture to her lips. "Mummy is coming for you."
The SUV wound through back roads and quieter parts of town. Eventually, it pulled up in front of a small café nestled between a bookstore and a florist.
She entered cautiously, the little bell over the door chiming. Her eyes scanned the café, passing over the other customers—until she spotted Brian.
He sat in the far corner booth, also wearing sunglasses indoors.
She moved toward him, tension coiled in her shoulders. He stood the moment he saw her, sweeping her into a warm, sturdy hug that lingered just long enough to make her remember what comfort once felt like.
"It's so good to see you again, Eva," he said.
"You too," she said, pulling back just enough to meet his gaze, her smile real but shaded with years of fatigue. She took her seat, adjusting her hoodie. "How have you been? I've been following your work from Paris. They love you there!"
"Girl! They love me everywhere!" Brian declared, flicking his wrist in a mock diva wave and flashing a grin that was too bright for such a dim-lit café.
Eva laughed under her breath, eyes rolling affectionately. "Of course they do," she said, sipping from the steaming cup that had just arrived. "I'm surprised France hasn't offered you citizenship."
"Oh, they tried."
She placed her hand lightly on his. "Thank you for doing this, Brian. I can't thank you enough. From the moment you saved me at the award ceremony, you've been the strongest support I have."
Brian's joking manner melted away. He turned his palm to clasp hers gently, his thumb brushing over the back of her hand in quiet comfort.
"There's nothing to it," he said softly. "You are a great woman, Eva. And you didn't deserve any of what happened."
Eva blinked, quickly looking away. Emotions clawed at the inside of her chest, but she held them back. She'd learned how to lock up feelings over the years. They made you weak. They made you bleed.
"So," she said, after a beat. "You said you got an update on Leo?"
Brian straightened, releasing her hand with a reluctant squeeze. "Ah… yes. It came out of the blue, actually. It was a phone call—middle of the night. The guy didn't say his name, didn't give any credentials. All he said was that he didn't know how to reach you. That I should get a hold of you and drop a voicemail on the number he called with."