My Ex Husband Treated My Son Without Knowing He Was His Chapter 12

My Ex Husband Treated My Son Without Knowing He Was His Chapter 12

The next two months, Sterling MedTech entered a period of explosive growth.

The National Science and Technology Progress Award had an impact far beyond expectations.

Healthcare systems in seventeen states reached out proactively to initiate procurement.

Elaine led negotiations for distribution rights across eight states.

The company’s valuation jumped from forty million dollars to a hundred and seventy million.

I closed a Series B round. The lead investor was one of the largest healthcare funds in the country

-Meridian Capital.

Total raised twenty million dollars.

The day we signed, Elaine opened a bottle of wine in my office.

“Evelyn. You did it.”

“We did it.”

“Twenty million. That’s more than enough. Enough for you to fight the Hayes family on any front.”

“I don’t want a fight. I want them to back off on their own.”

“How do you make that happen?”

“Wait.”

For two months, Nathan didn’t show up.

The tabloid article Claire planted had been taken down under threat of legal action. The account

that posted it was banned.

But the story of me and Nathan had already spread through the industry.

People knew I used to be a Hayes daughter-in-law. Knew the Hayes family had thrown me out.

Knew I’d built everything from nothing with a kid in tow.

Public opinion was on my side.

One day I saw a trending topic: #Heiress Discarded by Billionaire Dynasty Builds

He was in workout gear. Looked like he’d been on a morning run.

Liam sat in his arms for a second, blinked, then grinned.

“It’s the doctor!”

Nathan stood, still holding him, and checked his knees for scrapes.

“He’s fine. Just turned the wheel wrong when he braked.”

He set Liam down.

I stepped forward and took Liam’s hand.

“Thanks.”

“My pleasure.”

We stood facing each other.

Birds chirped somewhere in the park. Kids laughed in the distance.

Liam held my hand, then reached out and tugged the hem of Nathan’s jacket.

“Mister, are you playing at the park too?”

“Just running.”

“Are you fast?”

“Decent.”

“My mommy’s really fast. She said she used to get first place in races at school.”

Nathan glanced at me.

“I know.”

I crouched down.

“Buddy, let’s keep riding, okay? That way.”

“But the mister…”

“The mister has to keep running.”

Liam looked disappointed, but he nodded.

“Bye, mister.”

“Bye,” Nathan said.

Liam pedaled off ahead.

I stayed where I was.

Nathan didn’t move either.

“Was this an accident or did you plan it?”

“Accident. I live nearby.”

I said nothing.

He watched Liam ride away, his small figure shrinking down the path.

“The way he rides. Looks just like I did when I was a kid.”

“You don’t know him.”

“Evelyn. I’m not going to bother you anymore. I just wanted to see him from a distance sometimes.

You can pretend you don’t know.”

“I can’t pretend I don’t know.”

“Then what do you want me to do? Move?”

I looked at him.

“Nathan. What do you actually want?”

“You know what I want.”

“You want to be his father.”

“Yes.”

“On what grounds?”

“On the grounds that he’s my blood. On the grounds that I love his mother. On the grounds that I’ve regretted not opening my mouth in that doorway every single day for the past five years.”

A breeze cut through the park. My hair brushed across my face.

“What good is your regret? Does regret fill four years of him having no father? Does regret make

me less terrified at three in the morning holding a feverish infant alone? Does regret make twelve

hours of labor with no one holding my hand hurt any less?”

His lips pressed into a thin line.

“No.”

“Then your regret is worthless.”

I turned and walked away.

This time, he didn’t call after me.