Chapter 2: The Name Hidden In The File
I stared at the paper in my hands until the letters stopped looking like a name and started looking like a warning.
*Pascal Reed.*
My husband’s name.
The man who was sleeping beside me every night.
The man who knew every scar I carried.
The man who had promised me, on our wedding day, that he would never make me feel alone again.
I looked at Dr. Harris.
“No.””
The word escaped before I could stop it.
The doctor’s expression softened.
“Ms. Morgan—”
“No. There has to be a mistake.””
I shook my head, flipping through the pages too quickly. Medical notes. Emergency contact information. A handwritten statement attached to the back.
But Pascal’s name was there.
Again.
And again.
My fingers trembled.
“What does my husband have to do with Ethan?””
Dr. Harris glanced down the hallway.
“This isn’t something I can explain for him. Mr. Cole left instructions that this information should be given directly to you.””
“Why?””
“I don’t know.””
“You’re telling me a man who just had a heart attack woke up long enough to talk about my husband?””
The doctor didn’t answer.
That silence told me everything.
Something had happened.
Something I didn’t know about.
Something Pascal had kept from me.
My phone buzzed.
For one second, I thought it was Pascal calling.
It wasn’t.
It was a message from him.
*Are you happy now?*
I stared at the screen.
My chest tightened.
Another message appeared.
*You chose this. Remember that.*
I locked the phone.
Not because I didn’t want to answer.
Because I didn’t know what to say.
I had left my husband because Noah’s father was lying unconscious in a hospital bed.
But now I was standing in that same hospital holding evidence that my husband’s name was connected to something Ethan had been hiding for three years.
The irony was almost cruel.
“Can I see Ethan?”” I asked.
Dr. Harris nodded.
“He’s in ICU. Five minutes only.””
I followed him through the hallway.
Every step felt heavier.
The doors opened, and suddenly the world became quieter.
Machines beeped.
Lights flashed.
People whispered.
Then I saw him.
Ethan.
Older.
Paler.
Not the reckless man I remembered.
Not the man who broke my heart.
Just a man fighting to stay alive.
For a moment, I forgot everything else.
I stepped closer.
“Ethan?””
His eyes didn’t open.
I grabbed the chair beside the bed and sat down.
“You scared Noah,” I whispered.
My voice cracked.
“You know he’s going to be angry when he finds out you’re here, right?””
A tiny laugh escaped me.
“He’ll pretend he doesn’t care, but he’ll be waiting by the phone every five minutes.””
The monitor continued its steady rhythm.
I looked at his face.
There were so many things I wanted to say.
Things I had buried.
Things I had convinced myself didn’t matter anymore.
“You should have told me.””
My voice became quieter.
“You should have told me whatever this was.””
His fingers moved.
I froze.
Slowly, Ethan’s eyes opened.
For a second, he looked confused.
Then he saw me.
“Alexa?””
The sound of my name from his lips felt like opening a door I had locked years ago.
“I’m here.””
His eyes moved around the room.
“Noah?””
“He’s okay.””
Relief crossed his face.
“Good.””
I leaned forward.
“What happened?””
Ethan closed his eyes.
Not because he was tired.
Because he was afraid.
“Did they give you the file?””
My stomach tightened.
“Yes.””
His eyes opened again.
“And you saw his name?””
I nodded.
“Why is Pascal’s name in your file, Ethan?””
He looked away.
That hurt more than if he had answered immediately.
“Ethan.””
He swallowed.
“You married him.””
It wasn’t an answer.
“Don’t do that.””
“Do what?””
“Make me feel like I’m wrong for asking.””
He looked back at me.
“I’m not.””
“Then explain.””
For a moment, he said nothing.
Then he whispered:
“Three years ago, when you left me, I found out Pascal wasn’t the person he claimed to be.””
My heart started pounding.
“What does that mean?””
Before he could answer, the ICU door opened.
A nurse stepped inside.
“Mr. Cole needs to rest.””
Ethan grabbed my wrist.
His grip was weak, but desperate.
“Alexa.””
I looked at him.
“Don’t trust him.””
The words felt impossible.
“Trust who?””
His eyes moved toward the folder in my hand.
“Your husband.””
The nurse gently asked me to leave.
I stood frozen.
The man I once loved had just warned me about the man I chose.
And I didn’t know which one terrified me more.
The drive home felt endless.
Every street looked familiar.
Every traffic light.
Every building.
But somehow everything had changed.
When I pulled into our driveway, the house was dark.
Except for the kitchen light.
Pascal was waiting.
He was sitting at the table with two untouched cups of coffee.
One for him.
One for me.
A part of me hated that he still knew exactly how I took it.
“A little late,” he said.
I closed the door behind me.
“Pascal.””
He looked up.
His face was unreadable.
“How is he?””
The question surprised me.
“He’s alive.””
“Good.””
I watched him carefully.
“You knew.””
His expression changed.
Barely.
But I saw it.
“Knew what?””
“That your name was in Ethan’s file.””
The room went silent.
The coffee machine clicked in the background.
Pascal slowly leaned back.
“So that’s what this is about.””
My heart sank.
“You’re not even surprised.””
“No.””
“Why?””
He looked at me.
“Because I knew this day would come.””
I stepped closer.
“What day?””
“The day Ethan finally decided to tell you.””
My mouth went dry.
“Tell me what?””
Pascal stood.
For years, I had known him as calm.
Patient.
The person who never raised his voice.
But now there was something different in his eyes.
Not anger.
Fear.
“I wanted to protect you.””
I laughed once.
A painful sound.
“Protect me?””
“Yes.””
“By hiding things?””
“You don’t understand.””
“Then explain.””
He looked away.
That was the same thing Ethan had done.
And suddenly I hated how similar they were.
“Three years ago,” Pascal said slowly, “before you and I got married, Ethan came to me.””
I froze.
“What?””
“He asked me for help.””
“Why would Ethan ask you for help?””
Pascal’s jaw tightened.
“Because he was in trouble.””
“What kind of trouble?””
He didn’t answer.
“Pascal.””
“He was drowning.””
The words came out quietly.
“He had debts. People looking for him. Problems he couldn’t fix.””
I shook my head.
“That doesn’t explain why you’re in his file.””
Pascal walked toward the window.
“Because I helped him.””
My eyes narrowed.
“How?””
He stayed silent too long.
“Pascal.””
Finally, he turned around.
“I paid what he owed.””
The room tilted.
“You what?””
“I stopped the people threatening him.””
“Why?””
His face hardened.
“Because someone had to.””
I stared at him.
“And you never told me?””
“You were already broken.””
The words hit me.
“You don’t get to decide what truths I can handle.””
“I was trying to keep you safe.””
“No.””
My voice shook.
“You were trying to control the story.””
His expression changed.
For the first time, I saw anger.
Real anger.
“You think Ethan is honest now?””
“I think I deserve answers.””
“You’re defending him?””
“I’m asking questions!””
The silence afterward was unbearable.
Then Pascal said something that made my blood run cold.
“Ask him why he never told you about the night he almost destroyed your life.””
I stopped.
“What night?””
Pascal walked to the table.
He picked up his phone.
Then he placed it in front of me.
There was a video file open.
A date.
Three years ago.
The night before I left Ethan.
“I found this after I helped him.””
I looked at the screen.
My hands went cold.
“Pascal…”
“Watch it.””
I didn’t move.
“Why are you showing me this now?””
His eyes met mine.
“Because Ethan isn’t the only person who kept secrets.””
My phone suddenly rang.
I looked down.
The screen showed a number I didn’t recognize.
I answered.
“Hello?””
A man’s voice whispered on the other end.
“Alexa?””
My blood froze.
Because I recognized that voice.
It wasn’t Ethan.
It wasn’t Pascal.
It was someone I hadn’t heard from in years.
“Your husband is lying to you.””
I stood completely still.
The voice continued.
“And if you watch that video, you’ll finally understand why Ethan was afraid of him.””
The call ended.
I slowly looked at Pascal.
He was watching me.
Waiting.
And on the table between us was a video that could destroy everything I thought I knew.
I pressed play.
The screen went black.
Then a voice appeared.
My own.
From three years ago.
May you like
Crying.
Begging someone to stop.
