Chapter 2 – The Child Who Never Let Go
The applause continued.
Crystal glasses clinked.
Someone laughed too loudly.
A violin quartet drifted through the ballroom as though nothing in the world could possibly be wrong.
Yet Logan Mercer heard none of it.
His entire attention settled on the tiny hand gripping his own.
"Noah?"
His voice was barely above a whisper.
The little boy didn't answer.
His breathing had become almost invisible.
His hazel eyes stared somewhere beyond the ballroom, frozen on a single point behind Logan's shoulder.
Logan slowly turned.
Vanessa.
She was smiling politely at a senator's wife while accepting another round of congratulations.
Elegant.
Perfect.
Untouchable.
The moment Noah saw her take a single step closer, his entire body flinched.
It wasn't dramatic.
Most people would never have noticed.
Just a tiny tightening of his shoulders.
A barely visible tremble in his knees.
His fingers dug painfully into Logan's hand.
For the first time...
Logan didn't explain it away.
He knelt until he was eye level with his son.
"Hey..."
"You can look at me."
Noah's eyes moved slowly toward his father's face.
There was no smile.
Only fear.
Pure...
Silent...
Fear.
Logan's chest tightened.
Across the room Vanessa finally noticed them.
She walked over gracefully.
"There you are."
She reached toward Noah's shoulder.
The child reacted before anyone else could.
He stumbled backward.
A tiny gasp escaped his lips.
"No..."
The word was almost soundless.
But Logan heard it.
His first word all evening.
Vanessa stopped mid-motion.
For only half a second.
Then her smile returned.
"Oh, sweetheart."
"I was only trying to help."
Several nearby guests chuckled awkwardly.
Children were unpredictable.
Everyone assumed that was all it was.
Everyone...
Except Logan.
Because Noah wasn't looking at Vanessa.
May you like
He was hiding behind him.
Completely.
