A Mother's Secret, A Shared Name

Liam's POV

I gripped the steering wheel tightly, stealing glances at Hazel in the passenger seat. Her fingers trembled as she clutched her phone, checking it obsessively. The revelation that she had a son had knocked the wind out of me.

"How old is he?" I asked, breaking the tense silence.

"Two," she replied without looking up. "He's never been this sick before."

"I'm sure he'll be fine," I said, accelerating through a yellow light. "Kids get fevers all the time."

She finally looked at me, her green eyes swimming with tears. "You don't understand. Leo is everything to me."

Leo. The name hit me like a physical blow. My father's name. What were the odds?

"We're almost there," I assured her, pushing thoughts of my father aside. "Which building?"

"The blue one on the right." She pointed ahead. "Third floor, apartment 302."