CHAPTER 2: THE BOY IN THE COFFEE SHOP
Five years later, Nathan was a different man.
He had moved to Seattle and built another successful software company from scratch.
He rarely thought about Claire anymore.
But he thought about Liam every single day.
One rainy afternoon, Nathan walked into a coffee shop.
As he waited for his order, he heard a familiar voice.
"Excuse me, sir. You dropped this."
Nathan turned around.
His breath caught.
Liam.
Older.
Taller.
But unmistakably his son.
Neither spoke.
Finally, Liam frowned.
"Dad?"
Nathan nodded slowly.
Liam looked nervous.
"I didn't know you lived here."
"I don't," Nathan said softly. "I'm here for business."
Awkward silence.
Then Liam suddenly asked:
"Why did you stop trying to see me?"
Nathan looked shocked.
"What?"
"You disappeared."
Nathan stared.
"Liam, I called every week for three years."
Liam looked confused.
"No, you didn't."
Nathan's heart sank.
Someone had lied.
Before he could say anything else, a woman rushed into the café.
Claire.
The moment she saw Nathan, her face lost all color.
"Liam," she said sharply. "We're leaving."
Liam looked between them.
"Mom, Dad says he called me for years."
Claire grabbed Liam's arm.
"We're leaving. Now."
Nathan watched them walk out.
May you like
But this time, he wasn't walking away.
END OF CHAPTER 2.
