The office felt strangely quiet.
Or perhaps Sebastian was simply paying more attention than usual.
Either way, the silence stretched between him and Chloe after his question.
"Who was that little girl?"
For a moment, neither of them spoke.
Chloe's heart was pounding.
She hated this.
Absolutely hated this.
Because there was no good answer.
No answer that wouldn't create more problems.
So she chose the safest one.
"A child."
Sebastian stared at her.
Expression unreadable.
Chloe immediately regretted the response.
Because it sounded exactly like what it was.
An evasion.
Sebastian leaned back slightly.
Ignoring the discomfort in his chest.
"I gathered that."
Chloe folded her arms.
Trying to appear calm.
"Then why ask?"
"Because that's not what I asked."
Silence.
His gaze remained fixed on her.
Steady.
Observant.
Far too observant.
Finally Chloe sighed.
"She's someone important to Lillian."
The statement was true.
Completely true.
And somehow it made everything worse.
Because Sebastian immediately noticed what wasn't being said.
Not who she was.
Not how they knew each other.
Not why Lillian looked protective enough to step in front of a doorway.
Just important.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
Not aggressively.
Thoughtfully.
"You seem nervous."
Chloe nearly laughed.
Nearly.
"I'm talking to my boss."
"That never stopped you before."
Unfortunately, he had a point.
The silence that followed felt dangerous.
Because Sebastian wasn't pushing.
Not directly.
He wasn't interrogating.
He was simply observing.
And that was somehow worse.
Finally Chloe shook her head.
"I should get back to work."
Sebastian didn't stop her.
But as she reached the door, his voice stopped her anyway.
"Chloe."
She froze.
Usually Sebastian called her by her last name.
"Yes?"
A pause.
Then:
"How long have you known about her?"
Her stomach dropped.
Not because of the question.
Because of the wording.
Known about her.
As if Sebastian already sensed there was something to know.
Chloe carefully turned around.
"Have a good day, Mr. Wolfe."
And then she left.
The second the door closed behind her, she exhaled sharply.
"Shit."
Several employees glanced up.
Chloe ignored them.
Because she knew one thing with absolute certainty.
Sebastian wasn't going to let this go.
And that was a problem.
A very big problem.
Half an hour later she was sitting in her car during lunch break.
Phone pressed to her ear.
Waiting.
Lillian answered on the third ring.
"Hey."
The moment Chloe heard her voice, she got straight to the point.
"He asked about Ellie."
Silence.
Complete silence.
Chloe closed her eyes.
"Yeah," she muttered.
"That was my reaction too."
Several seconds passed before Lillian finally spoke.
"What exactly did he ask?"
"Who she was."
Another silence.
Lillian looked across her apartment.
Ellie was sitting on the floor in the living room.
Completely unaware of the conversation.
The little girl was surrounded by crayons.
Drawing something with intense concentration.
Tongue slightly sticking out.
Normal.
Happy.
Safe.
Lillian's stomach tightened.
"And?"
"I didn't tell him anything."
Relief immediately appeared.
Briefly.
Then Chloe continued.
"But he knows I'm hiding something."
The relief disappeared.
Because Sebastian Wolfe was many things.
And persistent was definitely one of them.
"I know."
Lillian's voice sounded quieter now.
More worried.
Three years.
Three years of distance.
Three years of silence.
Three years of carefully avoiding this exact situation.
And suddenly everything felt fragile.
Across the room, Ellie looked up.
"Mommy?"
Lillian immediately softened.
"Yes, sweetheart?"
"I drew Bunny."
The little girl proudly held up a drawing.
Lillian smiled.
"It's beautiful."
Ellie grinned.
Satisfied.
Then returned to her artwork.
Meanwhile, in his office, Sebastian was accomplishing absolutely nothing.
He had spent nearly forty minutes looking at the same report.
He couldn't remember a single line.
Because his thoughts kept returning to the same place.
The hospital.
Lillian.
The child.
Chloe's reaction.
Something wasn't right.
He knew it.
The problem was he couldn't prove it.
He leaned back in his chair.
Ignoring the fatigue pulling at him.
The child had looked young.
Three.
Maybe a little older.
His jaw tightened slightly.
Three years.
The number lingered.
Because it kept appearing.
Lillian left.
Three years ago.
The child looked around three.
Coincidence.
Probably.
His mind immediately rejected the connection.
No.
Impossible.
If there had been something that important—
something that life-changing—
Lillian would have told him.
Wouldn't she?
The certainty wasn't as strong as he wanted it to be.
That bothered him.
A lot.
Later that evening, Chloe stopped by Lillian's apartment.
Ellie immediately ran over.
"Chloe!"
Chloe laughed.
Scooping the little girl up.
"Hey, Ellie."
The child wrapped her arms around Chloe's neck.
"Mommy made spaghetti."
"Did she?"
"It was yummy."
"High praise."
Eventually Ellie returned to her toys.
Leaving the two women alone in the kitchen.
The mood immediately changed.
Chloe looked serious.
Lillian noticed instantly.
"What happens if he finds out?"
The question landed heavily.
Because neither of them had ever spoken it aloud.
Not really.
Lillian stared at the countertop.
"I don't know."
And she meant it.
Because every possible outcome felt complicated.
Painful.
Messy.
Would he be angry?
Would he hate her?
Would he want to know Ellie?
Would he fight for custody?
Would he walk away?
She didn't know.
And that uncertainty terrified her.
Across the room, Ellie laughed at something on television.
The innocent sound made both women glance over.
Then Chloe quietly said:
"He deserves to know eventually."
Lillian closed her eyes.
She knew.
That was the problem.
Back at the mansion, Sebastian sat alone in his office.
Night had fallen.
The city lights glowed beyond the windows.
A familiar bottle sat nearby.
Whiskey.
His hand automatically reached for it.
Then stopped.
He stared at the glass for a long moment.
Thinking.
Not drinking.
Just thinking.
That alone felt unusual.
Because for years alcohol had been the easiest way to silence his thoughts.
Tonight it wasn't working.
Because the questions remained.
Lillian.
The child.
Three years.
His mind returned to the timeline again.
Three years ago.
The child looked around three.
Lillian never answered his question.
Chloe practically panicked when he asked.
His jaw tightened.
A possibility appeared.
Small.
Terrifying.
His immediate reaction was the same as before.
"No."
The word echoed through the empty study.
Firm.
Certain.
Yet somehow not convincing.
Because for the first time, Sebastian Wolfe wasn't asking who the little girl was.
He was asking what Lillian had never told him.
And that question was becoming harder to ignore with every passing day.