Echoes of the Heart - 7. Chapter 7: Revelations leave Carter broken

Carter took a deep breath, his chest tightening as his eyes locked with his aunt Sheila’s. She stood there, her tear-filled gaze mirroring the pain he felt deep within. Her presence alone seemed to reopen old wounds that had barely begun to heal. The sight of her, after all this time, made him feel like his heart was being torn apart. His throat ached, his breath shuddered, and for a moment, he couldn’t speak.

Without a word, Carter turned on his heel, desperate to escape the flood of emotions surging through him. He needed to get away, to run before the past consumed him. His legs moved swiftly, rushing toward the exit as if his life depended on it.

“Carter!” Sheila’s voice echoed through the hallway, strained and desperate, stopping him dead in his tracks.

He paused, his back to her, his shoulders rising and falling with each heavy breath. His hands clenched into fists as he stood there, battling the tears that burned his eyes like pepper.

“Where are you going?” Sheila’s voice was gentle, yet laden with a sadness that tugged at his heart.

He swallowed hard, his voice cracking with pain.

“I’m going as far away as I can… just like you told me to the last time we saw each other.”

The words were heavy, bitter, and they hung in the air between them like a weight neither of them could lift. Carter squeezed his eyes shut as the tears finally spilled down his cheeks, his heart breaking all over again.

“Carter,” Sheila said softly, her voice trembling, “turn around. Look at me.”

For a moment, he couldn’t move. The pain was too much. But with a deep breath, he slowly turned, his tear-filled eyes meeting hers. She had taken a step closer, her face filled with a mixture of sorrow and something else—something warmer, something softer. A chill ran down Carter’s spine as he watched her approach him slowly, her steps hesitant, but determined.

“For months…” Sheila began, her voice thick with emotion, “I lived in so much hatred for you. For what you did… the memories you left me with… the abandonment of your father.”

Carter sobbed, unable to hold back any longer. His vision blurred as he stared at her, the pain of her words cutting deep, but there was something in her tone—a crack, a vulnerability—that made his heart ache even more.

Sheila continued walking toward him until they were standing face to face. Her tears mirrored his as they gazed into each other’s eyes, the weight of their shared past pressing heavily between them.

“But despite all that hatred, despite everything…” Sheila’s voice trembled, “…I still have love for you. A mother is a mother, after all, and eventually… eventually, a mother forgives her child.”

Carter let out a choked sob, his chest heaving as the words washed over him like a balm on his wounded soul. He had longed for this moment, for her forgiveness, for her love. Tears streamed down his face as Sheila slowly opened her arms to him, her expression softening with a tenderness he hadn’t seen in years.

“I’ve been dreaming of this moment for a long time,” she whispered, her arms beckoning him forward.

Without hesitation, Carter rushed into her embrace, sobbing uncontrollably as he buried his face against her shoulder. The warmth of her arms wrapped around him, shielding him from all the pain and torment that had haunted him for so long. He clung to her like a lifeline, feeling the familiar comfort he had craved for years.

As he held her, memories from his childhood flooded his mind. He remembered how she had cared for him, how she had loved him with the fierce protection of a mother. She had played the role so well that he hadn’t even missed his own mother. The love he had felt from her had been enough. And now, in this moment, that love came rushing back to him.

Carter sobbed harder, his voice muffled against her as he asked, “Am I dreaming?”

Sheila stroked his hair gently, her voice steady and warm.

“No, sweetheart. You’re not dreaming. You can thank Eric for that. He’s the one who helped me understand you after all this time.”

Carter slowly pulled away from the hug, though his hands still held onto her, as if afraid she might vanish again. His gaze drifted to where Eric stood a distance away, watching them with a quiet, satisfied smile on his face. Eric raised a thumb, a playful grin tugging at his lips.

Carter mouthed a soft “thank you,” his eyes filled with gratitude.

Sheila chuckled through her own tears, wiping at her face.

“You’re making such a mess, Carter.”

Carter let out a small, watery laugh, his chest still tight with emotion. “I’m just so happy, Aunt Sheila. I’ve wanted this for so long… I just want to be with you.”

He squeezed her hand gently, his fingers lacing with hers as he looked at her with a mixture of relief and hope.

“We have a lot to talk about,” he said softly. “And we can’t do it here.”

Sheila nodded, wiping away the last of her tears as she smiled warmly at him. “You’re right. Let’s go somewhere quieter.”

Together, hand in hand, they began to leave the lobby, stepping into the light of reconciliation. Behind them, Eric remained, his smile wide and full of satisfaction as he watched them go. He had done what he came to do, and the sight of Carter’s happiness made it all worth it.

***

Over a Year Ago…

*

Over a year ago, the small living room was cloaked in darkness, save for the dim flicker of the television screen. Carter sat on the floor, leaning back against the couch, his body heavy with exhaustion. His eyes, swollen and red from hours of crying, stared blankly at the screen in front of him. On the large TV, a video of his father played—the last message he had left him. The room felt suffocating, the air thick with grief and unspoken words.

On the screen, his father lay in a hospital bed, his body frail and weak, but his eyes still carried a steady composure, a sense of dignity even in his deteriorating state. His voice, though softer than Carter had ever heard it, was clear.

“I really hoped you wouldn’t have to see this, Carter,” his father began, his eyes filled with a deep sadness. “I wanted to tell you everything in person. If you're watching this, though, it means I’m not there with you. And I hope you’re not crying or blaming yourself for my death, because none of this is your fault.”

Carter’s lip quivered, a sob bubbling up in his throat as his father’s face stared back at him through the screen. His father’s words hit him hard, making the ache in his chest worse. He clenched his hands, his head dropping as tears streamed down his cheeks, dripping onto the floor.

His father’s voice continued, soft but filled with regret.

“I’m so sorry, son… for everything. For keeping things from you, for not telling you the truth sooner.”

Carter’s tears fell freely, his shoulders trembling as he whispered, “Dad...” His voice cracked with emotion, barely audible. He wasn’t sure how much more of this he could handle. The weight of grief was crushing him, suffocating him as the video went on.

His father’s image blurred as Carter lowered his gaze to the floor, unable to look at him any longer. His sobs echoed in the dark room, the only sound apart from the soft hum of the television. But then... something stopped him. Something in his father’s words made his breath catch, made his tears abruptly halt.

“If you’re seeing this, Carter, there’s something you need to know.” His father’s voice trembled slightly, his gaze filled with an almost unbearable sorrow. “I wish I could’ve told you sooner. I hope you know that you’re not alone... You hopefully still have your mother… and your brother.”

Carter’s body went rigid, his mind freezing in place. His brother? The words echoed in his head, repeating themselves as though they’d been pulled from some other reality. His breath stilled, his tear-streaked face slowly lifting to stare at the television. His heart pounded violently in his chest, as if trying to escape.

His father’s voice continued, quieter now, the regret thickening.

“You have a twin brother, Carter.”

Carter’s mouth fell open, but no sound came out. His heart was thundering, his pulse roaring in his ears as he tried to process the revelation. A cold, almost unnatural chill swept through the room, as if the very air around him had changed. His father’s words seemed to replay endlessly in his mind. A twin brother…

“I should have told you long ago,” his father confessed, his eyes wet with tears. “But I didn’t know how. Your mother… she left when you were just a baby. She took your brother with her, and I couldn’t let go of both of you. We decided to split you apart. I kept you, and she took him.”

Carter’s hands began to tremble, his breath coming in shallow gasps. His eyes widened, staring at the screen in horror and disbelief as his father continued to speak.

“I’m sorry, Carter,” his father said, his voice breaking. “I should have told you, but… I couldn’t bear to lose you too.”

His father’s tear-streaked face seemed to look directly into Carter’s soul, and for a brief moment, it was as if he was speaking to him from beyond the grave.

“Please, if anything happens to me… promise me you’ll find them. Your mother… and your brother. I’ve left everything you’ll need—”

Suddenly, his father’s voice was cut off by a violent fit of coughing. Carter’s eyes widened further as he watched the scene unfold in slow motion. His father clutched his chest, blood starting to pour from his nose, staining his hospital gown. Nurses rushed toward him, panic flooding the screen, but the video abruptly cut off, leaving Carter alone in the darkness.

For a moment, there was nothing. Just the sound of Carter’s labored breathing and the faint static of the television. His heart pounded wildly, his chest tight as he tried to comprehend what he had just heard. His mind was a blur, racing with too many thoughts to grasp at once. A twin brother… His father had hidden this from him. His entire life had been a lie.

He sat there, frozen in place, his eyes slowly drifting toward the box his father had left him. It sat on the table beside the television, untouched since his death. He had been too afraid to open it, too afraid of what it might contain. But now… now he couldn’t ignore it. His heart raced even faster as he stared at it, the weight of the secrets it held pressing down on him like a heavy shroud.

Carter’s hand twitched, his fingers itching to reach for the box, but he couldn’t bring himself to move. His mind reeled, struggling to process the bombshell his father had just dropped. The truth, the family he never knew he had, the brother he never met… It was all too much.

Tears welled in his eyes once more, but this time, they didn’t fall. He was too numb to cry. Too shocked to do anything but sit there, the dark room closing in around him, as the weight of the past came crashing down.

***

Present Day…

*

The air felt thick with tension as Carter stood still, his eyes locked on the photograph his aunt Sheila held in her trembling hands. The picture, old and slightly faded, showed his father, Simon, standing beside a beautiful young woman with a radiant smile, holding two infants—one of them unmistakably Carter. The other child, his unknown twin brother. Carter’s heart pounded as he stared at the image, the truth it represented still overwhelming him after all this time.

Carter took a deep breath, his voice barely steady.

“It’s the only thing my father left me. A revelation… one that took me so long to accept.” His voice wavered, filled with the weight of nine months of unanswered questions. “But I decided to honor his wish and look for my mother and my twin brother. I’ve searched the city my father told me about, hoping to find them… but the last nine months have been unsuccessful.”

His words hung in the air, the silence between them heavy with unspoken pain. He finally lifted his gaze, eyes filled with desperation as he looked at Sheila. “Did you know about this? About them?”

Sheila slowly raised her eyes to meet Carter’s, the sadness and guilt in her expression unmistakable. She hesitated, then gave a slow, almost reluctant nod.

“I knew, Carter,” she said quietly, her voice thick with regret. “That’s part of the reason why I’ve been upset with you all these months.”

The room fell into a deep, aching silence, both of them standing still as the weight of those words pressed down on them. Sheila placed the photograph carefully on the table and stood up, running her fingers through her hair in a gesture that betrayed her inner turmoil.

Her voice was soft when she spoke again, her gaze distant as memories from long ago resurfaced.

“Her name was Grace,” she began, “and she was your father’s childhood friend. They grew up together, inseparable. Best friends. They told each other everything… or so Grace thought. But unbeknownst to her, Simon was deeply in love with her, even when they were kids.”

Carter stood motionless, his heart beating heavily in his chest. He listened intently, feeling a strange mix of curiosity and anxiety at the story that was unfolding. He hadn’t known any of this about his father. The love he had harbored, the secrets he had kept hidden for so long.

“Simon never told Grace how he felt,” Sheila continued, her eyes growing distant as she recalled the past. “He didn’t want to lose her, didn’t want to risk ruining their friendship. So, he watched, always there, as she fell in and out of love with other boys, supporting her through every heartbreak. He kept his love for her hidden… until one day, it became too late.”

Sheila paused, taking a deep breath, as if gathering the strength to continue.

“Many years ago, Grace met a boy—a foreign, rich boy who had come to visit our hometown. He was everything she’d ever dreamed of. They fell madly in love, and Simon watched silently, supporting her as he always had. They planned to elope together, to escape everything… but the boy’s family found out. They took him away, back to his country, and Grace was left heartbroken. She had no way to contact him, no way to reach him.”

Carter’s heart clenched at the thought of it, imagining the pain his mother must have felt, the despair of losing her first love. He watched Sheila’s expression shift, the sadness returning to her eyes as she continued.

“Grace mourned him for months,” Sheila said softly. “She couldn’t let go. But eventually, as time passed, she learned to live with the heartbreak. And Simon… Simon was there, always by her side. He never left her.”

Carter swallowed hard, his pulse quickening. The intensity of the story gripped him, and though he didn’t know Grace personally, he could feel the echoes of her pain as Sheila spoke. He could feel his father’s quiet suffering too, always loving her from afar.

“Years passed, and she forgot about him, or so it seemed. They graduated, and one night—on graduation night—something happened. One thing led to another, and Grace got pregnant”

Carter’s breath caught in his throat. It was like pieces of his life were being revealed to him, pieces that had been hidden in the dark for far too long.

“She wanted to… terminate the pregnancy,” Sheila whispered, her eyes filled with sorrow. “But Simon… Simon loved her too much to let that happen. He convinced her to keep the babies. They decided to raise you and your brother together, but they agreed not to rush into marriage. They were going to wait until things settled.”

For the first time in what felt like hours, a faint smile tugged at Carter’s lips. He could imagine it—a happy time, filled with hope and possibility.

“And everything was going well?” he asked softly, his heart aching with the need for a bright spot in the story.

Sheila nodded, a small smile breaking through her tears. “Yes, everything was going well. You and your brother were born, and it was a joyous time. Simon was over the moon, Grace too. For a while, it seemed like everything would be perfect.”

Carter chuckled softly, the sound bittersweet.

But then Sheila’s smile faltered, and her face clouded with painful memories.

“But the heart doesn’t forget,” she murmured, the sorrow in her voice palpable. “One day, Grace’s greatest love… the boy she thought she’d lost forever… returned, now a responsible man.”

Carter felt the smile fade from his face, replaced by a growing sense of dread. He watched Sheila’s expression darken, her fingers trembling slightly as the memories resurfaced.

“And that’s when everything changed,” she whispered, her voice barely audible.

Carter’s heart began to pound again, his mind racing as he tried to imagine what had happened next. His eyes flicked back to the photograph, to the two smiling babies cradled in their parents' arms, and his stomach twisted. Whatever happiness had existed back then had been shattered.

“She met him again, didn’t she?” Carter asked, his voice low, afraid of the answer he already knew.

Sheila nodded, her eyes filled with a mixture of grief and regret. "Yes," she whispered. "And that’s when everything started to fall apart."

***

Many Years ago…

*

Grace stood in the dimly lit living room, her hands trembling as she faced the man she had shared so much with. She was breathtaking, even in her sorrow—her rich, curly hair framed her face, cascading down her back in dark waves. Her eyes, a deep blue, were red and swollen from crying, her full lips quivering as she tried to speak through the tears. Her pale, freckled skin glowed softly under the faint light of the room, accentuating the sharp features of her face. The delicate gold necklace she always wore sparkled faintly, a gift from Simon, though now it felt like a heavy weight around her neck.

In front of her stood Simon, his back turned to her as if to shield himself from the devastation in her words. His hands were tightly balled into fists at his sides, the tension in his posture visible, shoulders stiff, like he was holding back the flood of emotions that were threatening to break free.

“Richard… he promised he would take care of my children,” Grace’s voice broke as she spoke, her words coming out in painful sobs. “He has a child of his own from his previous marriage. He’s ready for us, ready to take care of them because… because he loves me, Simon.”

Simon spun around at her words, his face a mixture of disbelief and fury. His dark eyes, usually calm and steady, were now blazing with anger and pain. Tears welled up in his eyes as his expression hardened.

“Are you serious, Grace?” he demanded, his voice rough and strained. “After everything we’ve been through, after all we’ve built together—raising a family, planning a future—this is what you want to do? Break our family apart?”

Grace sobbed openly now, her tears streaming down her cheeks as she shook her head, her curls bouncing with the motion.

“You knew,” she whispered, her voice almost inaudible. “You knew I’ve always been in love with Richard. It’s always been him.” Her voice cracked again. “Even when I found out I was pregnant, I felt like I was betraying my love for him. I didn’t marry you, Simon, because I was always hoping—hoping he’d come back. And now he has. He still loves me, Simon, the same way he did back then.”

Simon’s face contorted with pain, his fists clenching tighter as his heart shattered.

“How could you…?” he whispered, the hurt in his voice raw and palpable. “Why would you break something so beautiful? We have a family, Grace. We were finally ready to be together, to get married. And now you want to walk away?”

Grace wiped her tears with the back of her hand, but they kept coming, her chest heaving with each sob.

“Because I love him, Simon,” she said, her voice trembling. “I love Richard, and he loves me. With him, I can have everything I’ve ever dreamed of. But with you… with you, I could never truly grow to love you the way I love him.”

Simon stepped forward, his tear-streaked face inches from hers, his voice cracking as he whispered,

“And what about our children, Grace? You can’t take them from me. They deserve to be with their father, to have a complete family. You’re depriving them of that.”

Grace sobbed harder, her hands clutching her chest as if her heart were being torn in two.

“I love them, Simon. I love both of our children more than anything. This isn’t just for me—this is for their future. I’m doing what I think is best for them. And you’ve done a lot already, when they’re not even your children.”

Simon's composure finally cracked as he snapped, his voice raising, “So you’re saying I’m useless? That I can’t provide for them?” His voice shook with anger and hurt.

“No, Simon,” Grace cried, her voice full of desperation. “You’re a wonderful father, but… I can’t stay with you. I can’t lie to myself anymore. I can’t lie to you.”

Simon’s expression turned cold, his heart crumbling at her words.

“I’m not going to let you take them, Grace. I won’t let you leave me without our children, without our family.”

Grace’s body trembled as she sobbed, her voice breaking.

“And I can’t leave them with you, Simon. I can’t leave them behind.”

The room filled with a painful silence as the two of them stared at each other, both drowning in their own agony. Grace’s hazel eyes, once so full of warmth and love, were now clouded with sorrow and indecision. Simon’s heart felt as though it were being ripped from his chest, the woman he loved slipping away from him with every passing second.

Grace broke the silence first, her voice barely a whisper.

“Maybe… maybe it’s best if we split them.”

Simon’s eyes widened in horror, his body stiffening at her suggestion.

“Split them?” he whispered, his voice full of disbelief. “How could you even say that? How could you suggest leaving our own children without a complete family? And me… what about me, Grace? I love you. I’ve loved you all these years.”

Tears streamed down Grace’s face as she shook her head.

“I love Richard,” she whispered, her voice filled with anguish. “And I’ve already decided. I have to be with him. I can’t wonder for the rest of my life what it would have been like with him. I’d rather make that mistake now than regret it forever.”

Simon’s eyes filled with both love and unbearable pain as he asked, “Is that what you really want?”

Grace nodded, tears falling freely. Simon took a deep breath, his voice barely holding together.

“I loved you, Grace. I still do. I always will. But if this is what you want, then… I’ll grant you your wish.”

Grace sobbed, her heart breaking as she looked at the man who had been her closest friend, the father of her children, and now the man she was leaving behind.

“I didn’t mean to hurt you, Simon,” she whispered. “I tried… I tried to fight it, but my feelings won. I can’t do this anymore.”

She moved closer to him, her lips brushing his cheek in a soft, farewell kiss. Simon stood frozen, his body rigid, every nerve screaming with the agony of her touch.

“It’s better this way,” Grace said softly, her voice trembling. “Nathan and Jason don’t need to know about this… about us. We’ll live separate lives, far away from each other. They’ll never know. We’ll… we’ll forget all of this, for their sake.”

Simon didn’t respond, too overwhelmed by the pain coursing through him. He simply nodded, his face pale and tear-streaked, as he watched the woman he loved turn away.

As Grace disappeared into the night, Simon fell to his knees, his heart shattering completely. His wails echoed through the empty house, filled with the agony of loss, betrayal, and a love that would never be returned. His tears fell like rain as the full weight of what had just happened crashed over him, breaking him completely.

***

Present Day...

*

Carter gasped, his breath catching in his throat as if the air itself had been ripped away from him. A tight, unbearable pain spread across his chest, making his heart feel like it was being crushed. He stumbled back, leaning against the couch for support, his legs shaking beneath him. His vision blurred as a billion tears streamed down his face, his mind racing to process what he had just heard.

He struggled to stand upright, his breath ragged and uneven, and he looked at Sheila with wide, panicked eyes. His voice cracked as he gasped out the question, “He… wasn’t really my father?”

Sheila’s expression softened with pity, her gaze heavy with the weight of the truth she had just revealed. Slowly, she nodded, her face full of regret.

“I didn’t want to hit you with that, Carter,” she said softly, her voice almost apologetic. “But I knew you deserved to know the truth. He would have wanted you to know.”

Carter’s tears intensified, his sobs choking him as he shook his head in disbelief. "

“How… how could that be possible?” he cried out, his voice desperate and broken. “He loved me too much… he was always there for me. How could he not be my father?”

Sheila’s face twisted with sadness as she took a step toward him, her voice calm but filled with pain.

“That’s exactly why, Carter. That’s why I’ve been so upset with you all these months. He sacrificed everything for you, Carter. His entire life, he gave it all to you—a child that wasn’t even his. And in the end, when he needed you the most… you abandoned him. You did exactly what Grace did to him. You broke him, Carter. And that… that’s what led to his death.”

Carter’s entire body recoiled as if Sheila had struck him.

“No,” he whispered, shaking his head furiously, his voice barely a breath. “No… that’s not true.”

But Sheila didn’t move.

“It’s alright,” she whispered, her tone trying to comfort him despite the weight of the truth. “It wasn’t your fault, Carter.”

But Carter couldn’t hear her anymore. He stepped back again, his shaking hands running through his hair, the tears blinding his vision. His breaths came out in short, panicked gasps, his mind spiraling into a chaos he couldn’t escape. The walls felt like they were closing in on him, suffocating him with guilt, with sorrow, with the realization of what he had done.

“No… no… no,” he cried, shaking his head wildly as the pain inside him grew unbearable.

Without thinking, Carter took a full step back, his body shaking uncontrollably. His entire being was consumed by an overwhelming need to escape, to run from the truth, from the house, from everything. He turned, sprinting toward the door at full speed, tears pouring down his face like rain as he ignored the desperate calls of his aunt behind him.

“Carter! Wait!” Sheila shouted, but he didn’t stop. He couldn’t. The pain, the grief, the guilt—he needed to outrun it all.

He burst out of his apartment, the cold air hitting his tear-soaked face as he ran, his legs carrying him as far away as they could. His father’s love, his aunt’s words, the truth—it all swirled around him like a storm, crashing down on him as he ran blindly through the streets, his sobs echoing.

***

The room was dark and oppressive, filled with an eerie stillness that pressed down on Elena's chest. She was still tied to the cold, damp chair, her wrists burning from the rough ropes that bound them, sweat dripping from her brow as she struggled, desperate to free herself. Her body trembled with exhaustion, her breath ragged and shallow as she pulled against the restraints, trying to block out the terror that gnawed at her.

Her mind raced with the horrors, but even as she fought against her bonds, flashes of a memory—one she couldn’t shake—began to play before her eyes.

***

Seven months ago…

*

Elena entered Jeremy’s office with a sense of urgency, her heels clicking sharply against the polished marble floor.

“Carter?” she called out, her voice echoing through the empty room.

There was no answer, only the faint hum of the air conditioner and the occasional rustle of papers.

The room was pristine, as always—Jeremy's office a picture of order and elegance. But something about it felt off today, like a subtle shift in the air that made her uneasy. She called Carter’s name again, her voice growing fainter as an inexplicable anxiety started to creep into her heart. Still, there was no response.

She approached the large, fancy desk at the center of the room, her eyes narrowing at the sight of a stack of disheveled papers. The neat, organized nature of the room was disturbed by this chaos, and without thinking, she moved toward the desk, instinctively beginning to arrange the scattered documents.

As she reached for the last paper, her elbow brushed against a framed photograph standing on the edge of the desk. The sound of glass shattering pierced the silence as the frame hit the floor. Elena’s heart skipped a beat, her entire body stiffening as she quickly dropped to her knees to retrieve it.

The frame lay face down, its glass cracked and jagged, and as her fingers closed around the broken edges, she felt an odd, creeping dread crawl up her spine. Slowly, she turned the frame over, her breath catching in her throat as her gaze landed on the photograph.

Her hands began to tremble, and she gasped, her eyes widening in shock and disbelief. The man in the photograph—his face, his eyes, his smile. It was Simon. The very sight of him seemed to reach out and strike her like a physical blow, her heart pounding in her chest with wild panic.

“Simon?” she whispered hoarsely, her voice barely audible, as if saying his name could somehow alter the reality before her.

There he was, smiling, and standing beside Carter. She saw something in Carter that she had not noticed up to then, the familiarity. There was something else, something in Carter’s expression, something familiar and yet terrifyingly foreign all at once. Her lips quivered as she whispered the name, “Jason.”

She stared at the photo for what felt like an eternity, her mind in complete turmoil, struggling to make sense of what she was seeing. Jason… her son. The son she had lost all those years ago. The son she thought she would never see again. And now, standing before her, in the photograph, was Carter… her Jason.

***

Present day…

*

Elena blinked back to the present, tears flowing freely down her face as she sat helpless in the dark, tied and bound, her chest heaving with silent sobs. The memory haunted her, swirling in her mind like a relentless storm.

She bit her lip, her body shaking as she heard the whisper again—faint, like a ghostly voice slipping into her mind:

“Carter is Jason. My son.”

To be continued…