I put my hands to my head, feeling the excitement but also a bit of regret that I hadn't known.
Why would Cathy keep something like that from me? I'm the father of that child, above anyone else, I deserved to know.
I remembered how nervous and thoughtful she became when I questioned her about running away from the pack and remembered her hesitation in telling me about it. It all started to make sense to me, and I didn't feel fear of losing her anymore but instead intrigued by this situation.
"Thank you, Andrew, you're the best!" I said, taking the picture of the boy and leaving the office.
"Where are you going?" he asked, following me.
"To confront Cathy, I need to hear it from her mouth. I want to know why she hid Elliot from me," I replied, agitated, trotting towards the exit.
"Good luck, Eric," he yelled at me as I ran to my car.
I grabbed the keys, got in the car, and drove with my son's picture on the steering wheel, looking at it every chance I got.
I arrived at the mansion, got out of the car, leaving it running. At that moment, nothing mattered to me. The only thing I wanted was to find Cathy.
"Good evening, sir..." Lucas greeted me, but I rushed past him and didn't even let him finish the sentence.
I walked down the hallway that seemed to drag on until I reached Cathy's door and knocked on it hurriedly. "Hey! It's Eric. We need to talk," I controlled my voice so no one else would hear me.
"Eric?" she said. "Give me a second. I'm..."
I opened the door to find her lying on the bed in the middle of a call, and she hung up as soon as she saw me come in.
"What's wrong? Why are you so agitated?" she asked me, getting out of bed and putting her phone down on the nightstand.
I locked the door and walked towards her, feeling like my heart was going to explode. "I'm going to ask you something, and I need you to tell me the truth."
She opened her eyes like saucers, her face paled, and she started playing with her fingers. "What is this all about?"
When I was so close to her that I could hear her asynchronous breathing and uncontrolled pulse, I showed her the photograph. "Who's the child?"
Cathy lowered her face, and I held her because I felt she might faint at any moment.
"How did you get that photo?" she asked me nervously.
I handed her the picture and helped her sit on the bed. "I asked my Beta to investigate you because, at the theater, I read the name of the contact and thought you were hiding something related to a man from me, so I did what I had to do."
"I knew it was a matter of time before you found out, but I never thought it would be so fast," she said, looking down at the floor with slumped shoulders. But immediately, she breathed in with pride and looked at me as she said. "That child is our son; his name is Elliot."
I cupped her chin with my hand. "I'm sorry, I should have asked you, and now I understand you had your reasons," I said with relief as everything started to make sense.
"I was afraid. I didn't know how to tell you,” she confessed with her lower lip trembling.
"It's okay,” I said, smiling with shyness. "I'm not mad, just shocked by the news. And I couldn’t be happier to know that I’m a father!"
I sat on the bed, and she leaned back against my chest. Her body was shaking, and she was having trouble breathing. "I'm so sorry you found out like that."
I hugged her and looked at the ceiling, thinking of the times I fantasized about having a family, a son to teach everything I knew, and training together. That fantasy could now be a reality if only Cathy would let me be a part of her life.
Chapter 19 Cathy
My heart wouldn't stop pounding, and even though Eric told me everything was fine, I didn't get the idea that what I had prevented from happening at all costs happened.
"Come on, you can be certain that everything’s going to be ok," Eric said, caressing my cheeks. "You have nothing to be afraid of."
I thought about my son and dreaded the thought of having to be separated from him or that they would want to take him away from me. Eric didn't look like that kind of man, but having spent so many years under my father's yoke made me wary, especially of those who claim to care about me or show a little affection.
