Part 3The System Made Me a Substitute for His Dead Wife Not Knowing I Was the Original
About 994 characters · Part 3 is the last of the three Parts printed here; Part 4 continues in the official app.
At that exact moment, the sky began to bleed snow.
I cradled my throbbing arm, leaning against the cold brick. From the mouth of the alley, I watched Damian greet his son. Even with the boy, his expression didn't soften. He just stubbed out his cigarette, his movements precise and economical, and reached down to take the small hand offered to him.
They turned and walked to a black car waiting at the curb.
Maybe my stare was too intense, too desperate. Just before he got in, the boy turned his head and looked directly at me.
I must have been a sorry sight, a mess of snow and blood and bruised dignity.
And yet, instinctively, I managed a small, gentle smile for this beautiful, serious-looking boy.
His gaze was as indifferent as his father’s. His eyes, a deep, quiet gray, assessed me calmly.
He only looked for a second.
A bodyguard stepped forward, pulling the car door open. It closed with a solid, final thud, sealing them inside. The car pulled away from the curb without a backward glance.